Lizard of Blades
by TyrothDarkstorm
Summary: The life of Monalisa has been a difficult one, horrible at times even, but nothing could ever compare to, or even prepare her for the terror that is the Zerg Swarm. But how will things turn out when she is part of the Swarm? Rated M for blood, violence, death, torture, swearing and sex, possibly lots of it too! And also Z for Zerg. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**So, what the blazes am I thinking with uploading yet another story, and when I'm not even done with what I'm already working on? Well, your guess is as good as mine, but the idea for this story struck me somehow, and I just couldn't let it go.**

 **Here's to hoping that you people will enjoy it, but I got to admit, it feels like a gamble. Also, not sure yet if this will be canon or not, guess we'll just have to wait and see.**

 **Lizard of Blades**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Infiltrated**

Down in the sewers underneath New York, in the lair of the mutants that protected the city from as many criminals as they could, the lovely Lizard Lady, Monalisa, was walking through her adoptive home, seeing what her adoptive brothers and father were doing now that their training were done. They would head out on patrol later that night, but until then they had time to themselves.

Leonardo and master Splinter were in the old rat's quarters, doing some additional meditation exercises on their own. Monalisa's mate and lover, Raphael, was punching his trusty old sandbag, feeling that he needed to blow off some more steam before the patrol. Michelangelo was at the TV-set, setting up a movie of some sorts for Pandora, Monalisa and Raphael's daughter, and Kemeko, the daughter of the late Karai, adopted by Leonardo.

With just a quick glance of the lair, Monalisa could easily see which one of the turtles that were missing, and it was almost equally easy to figure out where he was. She made her way over to Donatello's lab, and looking inside, she found him sitting by his computers.

He wasn't wearing any protective gear, which meant it was safe to enter. After the incident with April mutating into a humanoid dragon years prior, even if they were able to turn her back, Donatello had improved the safety with not only better protective gear, but also by making it clear than no one is allowed to enter unprotected if he or anyone else was working in such gear. They had even used the story about 'Dragon April' as a warning for Pandora and Kemeko, though with some changes.

Still, Monalisa gently knocked before entering, making Donatello look up from the screen.

"Oh, hey Mona. Anything I can help you with?"

"Not really, I was just a bit restless, so I thought I would see what everyone is doing at the moment." she said as she walked up to him.

"So that's how it is, huh? Well, I'm not doing anything really interesting, just calibrating our early warning systems."

"Is there a problem with it?"

"No, not at all. I just want to make sure it stays that way. With all the cameras and motion sensors that we got throughout the surrounding sewers, it is a lot to keep track of, and every week I check that it's all working properly. Better to be safe than sorry with this, we don't want the Foot to find us again."

"No, last time was more than enough for me." Monalisa said, remembering how their old home had been discovered and destroyed by the Foot clan. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Hmm, I don't know-"

"Uncle Donnie!" Pandora called out from the TV-area, interrupting Donatello. "The TV broke!"

"It wasn't me!" Michelangelo quickly added.

"When you say that, Mikey, it usually was you." Donatello called back.

"Not this time!"

"It was! It was!" Kemeko cheered, much to her uncle's annoyance.

"You're no help." Michelangelo complained, but the two children just giggled.

"I'm on my way. I'll just get my tools." Donatello said with a smile. "Could you keep an eye on the systems for me, Mona? It should finish on its own in a few minutes, but someone should check the feeds until then."

"Don't worry, Donnie, I can handle this. You go and save their movie-time."

"Thanks, sis."

As Donatello headed out to fix whatever that was wrong with the TV-set, Monalisa sat down and cycled through the various camera feeds, keeping her eyes open should anything show up. For most of the time, the sewers were as empty as they should, but after a few minutes, there was a flash of light on one camera.

"Huh? What was that?"

Going back to that specific camera, her eyes searched the video feed for anything different, but she couldn't find anything.

"Strange."

"What's strange?" Donatello asked as he returned.

"There was some kind of flash on this camera, but I don't know what it was. Nothing looks different."

"Here, let me have a look." he said, he and Monalisa swapping places. "Hmm… this camera is the one farthest away from us, in the south-east quadrant. I'll check the footage."

After rewinding the recording, he saw the same flash that Monalisa had seen.

"That's interesting. The motion sensors picked up something at the same time as this flash. That pretty much rules out any technological error on our end, but it was just within the minimum range, so it's impossible to see what it was."

"Whatever it was, it wasn't natural, it couldn't have been. Flashes of light doesn't just appear out of nowhere, at least not down here."

"Yeah… I think we will have to investigate this further, which means heading out there and investigating on spot."

"I think we'd better get the others then."

"Good idea, Mona. I'll prepare a few things we might need."

* * *

Some time later, the four turtles and Monalisa approached the area where the light had been seen, and not all of them were thrilled by the whole thing. That general area of the sewers was old and lacked running water and the floor was covered by earth and dirt.

"Why are we even doing this? I'm missing the best part of Kung Fu Panda 2 right now." Michelangelo complained.

"You've watched it with the girls so many times, you basically know all the lines." said Raphael. "But I have to agree with you. What are we all doing here?"

"There is safety in numbers, Raph." said Leonardo. "In case this is some kind of trick or trap, it's best if we're all here so we can help each other."

"Heads up, guys. We're almost at the spot now." said Donatello. He was carrying not only his normal bag, but also a large square box of a plastic material. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a Geiger counter and started it. It started to tick very slowly as he pointed it at the area.

"Seems like we got something. Some form of radiation, but it is very weak."

"How weak are we talking about?" asked Leonardo.

"Almost negligible. We won't be in any danger, but I will keep an eye on the counter in case that changes." said Donatello, pulling out more Geiger counters and hand them out to the others."If the radiation is connected to the flash, then anything connected to the flash should also give off some radiation, so use these to identify such objects. But be careful not to touch anything."

"Just how many of these do you have?" Michelangelo asked as he got his Geiger counter.

"Enough for all of us it seems. We'll tell you if we discover anything, Donnie." said Monalisa as she and the others started a sweep of the area. It didn't take long before they discovered something though.

"This is strange." said Donatello, holding the counter handle near the ground in front of him. "I'm getting some increased readings from this spot. It's not a lot, but it is slightly higher than the rest."

"Do you think the ground absorbed some of the radiation when the flash happened?" said Monalisa. "That might have been the origin point of whatever it was."

"It's completely possible. I think I'll take a soil sample with me for further analysis." Donatello said.

Putting down the large plastic box, he opened it and picked up one of several sealed glass canisters and a small shovel. Taking a small scoop of the dirt, he placed it in the glass box and properly sealed and marked it before placing it back in the big box.

"Uh, guys, I think I found something over here." Michelangelo said, and Donatello hurried over once his sample was secured.

"What do you got?" he asked, and Michelangelo pointed the handle at his finding.

It looked like a robotic finger, more than twice the size of an average human finger, and it was made of blue and black metal. It seemed as if it had been severed from whatever hand it used to belong to, and just like the spot on the ground, it gave of a slightly higher reading than the surrounding area.

"Yep, this is definitively connected in some way. I'll put it in a container as well." Donatello said, retrieving another glass canister and a set of pliers. But just as he had picked up the finger, Raphael found something else.

"Got something here, Donnie. A piece of some yellow metal I think, a little larger than the palm of my hand, and a few shards of glass or crystal. Everything is making this thing react."

"I'll collect them, Raph, don't worry. Just gonna secure this sample and get a few more containers."

"Once you're done, I think I found something as well." said Leonardo. "Some form of claw or tooth the size of my thumb, looks it was broken off so it might have been even bigger."

"Okay, be very careful with that, Leo. I'll get it."

After a few minutes, Donatello had managed to successfully collect and secure all of the objects they had found, and no more was discovered.

"That seems to be it. Best we head back home then." said Donatello.

"No complaints from me." said Michelangelo. "Maybe I'll be able to catch the last part of the movie."

"You and your movies." Monalisa chuckled. Then she suddenly cried out in shock, dropping her Geiger counter and quickly put one arm down the back of her crop top.

"Mona! What is it?!" Raphael asked worried as he hurried over to her, drawing his sai on the way.

"I think a slug or something just fell down my top!" she said, trying to find and get rid of it. "Eww! So slimy and gross!"

"Don't worry, I'll help you."

"Thanks, but I think I got rid of it." she said, pulling out her arm again, shivering a bit. "I can't find it now, but I did feel it before, so it must have fallen out again. But I think I cut myself a bit on my back with a finger nail in the process, and it still feels all icky, I'll need a shower when we get home."

"As long as it wasn't anything worse." said Donatello. "I could treat that cut with some alcohol to make sure it doesn't get infected, but by the time we get back home, it will surely have healed thanks to your healing rate."

"I really don't think there is anything to worry about, Donnie, but thanks for the thought." said Monalisa, still shivering a bit. "But can we get going now, I really want that shower."

* * *

Once back in the lair, Monalisa headed to her and Raphael's room to fetch a pair of towels, some fresh clothes, shampoo and soap, while the others each went about their business again. Leonardo and Donatello reported in with master Splinter, giving him an explanation of what they had discovered before Donatello headed to his lab to examine the samples they had discovered. Michelangelo hurried to catch the last part of the movie together with Pandora and Kemeko.

But Raphael, he headed to kitchen for a quick drink before catching up to Monalisa just as she opened the bathroom door.

"Hold up, babe." he said, making her turn around.

"Hey, hun, what's up?"

"I was just thinking that I could join you for this shower." he said with a smirk that sent new shivers down Monalisa's back, pleasant ones.

"Oh, I would love that."

"Daddy!" they heard Pandora call out, and their daughter came running towards them. "Daddy, the movie is over now, and I want to play with you now."

"Is that so, kiddo?" he said.

"Guess you're busy then, love." Monalisa said.

"Sorry, babe."

"Don't worry, we'll get more chances."

"Come on, daddy! I want to play with you. You promised you would when the movie was over."

"I coming, little geisha, and I always keep my promises, right?" Raphael said, picking up his daughter.

"Right!" she cheered

"Have fun you two." Monalisa said with a smile as she entered the bathroom and locked the door.

Alone, she peeled her clothes off and put them in the washing machine, starting it, just so that they would be clean for the next day. Starting the water and waiting for it to get warm, she looked herself over in the mirrors, trying to see if she had any cuts on her back, but just as Donatello had predicted, any such wounds had already healed.

With that out of the way, she stepped into the warm water and sighed out of relief as she felt it wash over her scaly body, and she could feel how the icky feeling of the slug finally left her.

But it hadn't been a slug of any kind, it was in fact a tiny purple and brown worm, just under an inch long, very slim and with a pair of razor sharp mandibles. It had gotten stuck in the ceiling of the sewers after the flash, having arrived together with the other objects the mutants had collected, and just as Monalisa had almost caught it, it used its mandibles to cut its way through her skin, causing the cutting sensation that she thought was from her nails, when in truth, the worm burrowed its way into her flesh, just underneath the skin.

And as the wound healed, it remained there, as was its instinct, waiting, biding its time.

 **Gross! Mona has gotten infected by some kind of parasite! This could be potentially very bad for her health.**

 **To all of you that recognized the objects recovered, I'm sure that you can put two and two together on this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Infested**

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, especially since the reptiles decided to skip the last patrol after the strange event, and Donatello was far too intrigued by the mysterious samples they had collected, he spent the rest of the day studying them, equipped with appropriate protection.

After they went to sleep, however, Monalisa's sleep was all but peaceful, as she had a strange dream. On worlds that were completely unfamiliar to her and in outer space, three different factions were fighting each other in what was a fierce war.

One faction was seemingly human, fighting in robotic suits and combat walkers together with tanks and spaceships of various kinds, their technology being at least a few centuries ahead of Earth. They were rather plentiful and fought smart, unpredictable

The second was composed of tall aliens, seemingly lacking mouths, that wielded blades of energy and protected by shields. Their armours and machines were made mostly out of some golden yellow metal with a few crystal-like components on some of them, far more advanced than that of the others. While they were the least numerous of the three, they fought the most valiantly and were able to stand their grounds even against superior numbers.

The third and final faction, seemed like little more than beasts, mostly insectoid, and despite not having any technology, they could fight the others just fine and even traverse the vacuum of space. Some were the size of wolves, others the size of horses and others still could dwarf even houses, and they all moved with a unified purpose, directed by some other will. Their numbers seemed to be limitless as they swarmed over the fields and in the skies, and while countless of them died in the battles, there were always more to fill their spot.

The three species clashed on many worlds, the air between them filled with bullets, missiles, energy blasts, spikes and globs of acid as lives beyond counting were lost, and the insectoid aliens just kept coming, despite taking the most losses.

A lone humanoid individual stood behind the bulk of the insectoid aliens, a feminine figure with a human face, but with thin bone-like tendrils instead of hair, carapace instead of skin and large bony wings on her back. Her eyes glowed orange with power as millions more aliens burst through the ground around her and joined their kin in battle.

" **I AM THE SWARM!** " her voice boomed in the minds of all, coursing with power, just as she leaped into the thick of the battle and began tearing her enemies apart. Then for a split second, everything stopped, and the woman's eyes seemed to burn right into where it felt as if Monalisa's eyes would have been.

* * *

Despite the dream, Monalisa seemed to be completely rested the next day. In fact, she had no memory of it, even though it had been so clear and vivid, almost as if she had been there herself. But was it truly just a dream?

As the family gathered for breakfast, Donatello hurried over to his lab, only to return a few minutes later.

"So how is the investigation going, Donnie?" Leonardo asked as they ate, helping Kemeko with her sweet porridge.

"In one word, slowly." Donatello answered, taking a bite out of his toast and swallowing before continuing. "But it is very interesting. I checked up on the samples right before I came here, and their radiation levels have dropped substantially compared to yesterday. If the rate of the decay stays the same, they will be completely clean of radiation in only a few days."

"That's good, ain't it? They'll be safe then." said Michelangelo.

"I wouldn't call them safe, Mikey." said Monalisa. "We have no idea of knowing what they might be from, so just because they aren't irradiated any more doesn't mean that they are safe."

"Monalisa is correct. When handling the unknown, you would all do well in exercising caution." said Splinter, taking a sip of his tea.

"Something that I take very seriously." said Donatello. "I'll keep working on the samples, but I've already discovered a few things. The robotic finger, for example, its technology is similar to modern robotics and cybernetics, but even more advanced. As for the golden metal, it's unlike anything I've ever seen before, I'm really looking forward to studying that closer."

"Anything on that claw, or tooth or whatever it was? Because if whatever that belonged to is still around, I'd want to know about it." said Raphael.

"Nothing yet, but the surveillance systems haven't picked up anything, so I doubt that any sort of creature is in the vicinity."

"What are you talking about?" Pandora asked. "Is there a monster out there?"

"No, sweetie, there is no monster out in the sewers." Monalisa chuckled. "We just found some strange things that we are trying to figure out."

"So uncle Donnie will work in his lab? Then I won't go there."

"That's good, little geisha." said Raphael. "We don't want something like Dragon-April happen again, do we?"

"Nope nope!" Pandora said shaking her head.

"That's my girl." Monalisa said with a smile, gently ruffling Pandora's hair and making her giggle. Monalisa then reached for the package of cereals, but Leonardo moved it out of her range.

"I think you have had enough, Mona." he said. "You've already had three bowls."

"Huh? I have?"

"Not to mention several toasts, bacon and eggs. You need to watch your figure."

"Gosh, I really have eaten that much." Monalisa said, thinking back and remembering it all. "I didn't even think about it."

"You ain't pregnant again, are you?" Michelangelo asked, causing Raphael to almost choke on his egg.

"No, I'm not, Mikey. I would have had other symptoms before hunger, and I would recognise them. I was just feeling very hungry for some reason. But I've definitely had enough now, like Leo said, I need to watch my figure."

"Can I have some more cereal?" Pandora asked, holding out her bowl. "I'm still growing."

"That you are, that you are." Raphael said with a smile. "You can have a little more cereal, but we'll add some sliced banana too."

"Yay!"

* * *

Hours later, after training and going on patrol, the team once again had time for their own activities and interests, which meant that Donatello retreated to his lab for further studies of the samples. Monalisa was also curious and eventually joined Donatello in the lab, both wearing proper protection suitable for the situation.

"Hey, Donnie." she said as she entered the lab fully equipped.

"Hmm… oh, hi, Mona. How are you?"

"Just fine, thanks."

"So no more instances of increased hunger?"

"No. I guess I was just hungrier than I thought, or I completely zoned out, but it shouldn't be any problem."

"That's good to hear."

"So, made any progress on the samples?"

"Some, yeah. Have a seat and I'll got over it with you." he said, pulling up several images on his computer screens.

"As I said at breakfast, the radiation has nearly vanished, but since I haven't been able to identify what kind of radiation it is, I don't know what that means in the end. My theory is that what we found is residual radiation of a teleportation experiment, with some alien, or possibly extra dimensional origin."

"Teleportation? Like when we got sent to Skyrim, and you guys into outer space? That doesn't feel good to me."

"I don't think we have to worry. Like I said, I believe that it is from an experiment, and the objects we found were test subjects, or the remains of the subjects. I also highly doubt that the sewers were the intended destination."

"Think it could have been an accident?"

"It's possible, but that's about what I've figured out so far. The other samples, however, are of equal interest. I mentioned that the finger was similar to our tech, and it had many elements and metals that we have, but also several that I haven't been able to identify at all yet. Then we got the golden piece of metal, and just as I said earlier, I haven't seen anything like it before."

"That must be something really special then, because you have seen a lot, and you are the smartest person I know."

"Yeah, but this, whatever it is, is completely unknown. I can't find any materials that are familiar, and I'm having a hard time even analysing it. And the crystals are the same, completely unknown, though they seem to resonate to each other in some way that almost looked like brainwaves on the computer graphs. What that means, I really have no idea. I need to do a lot more research before I can make an educated guess for it."

"As long as they don't swap our personalities again, or something like that, then I'm good. But what about that claw, or was it a tooth?"

"It was in fact a claw, at least from how it was built, it doesn't have the internal roots of a tooth, but that is going by Earth standards. The size of this indicates that it either is from an animal with very big claws, or a very big animal, and none of those exists on Earth. I actually think that Tyroth has the largest claws on the planet, but that's beside the point. Another thing I discovered, however, is that the claw is incredibly durable, stronger than steel in fact, I actually broke several of my tools just to get some scrapings of the claw, and it seems to do with it having a high amount of minerals and metals in its composition."

"Gosh, I wouldn't want to run into the creature it used to belong to."

"Me neither. But I believe that if you were able to turn claws like these into weapons, they would be similar to the dragon-tooth daggers Sephie got from Devina back in Skyrim."

"I remember those, she can cut down many foes with ease thanks to them."

"Yeah, and I believe claws like this one would make even deadlier weapons. But that's about what I've learned so far."

"I see. Mind if I help you a bit before we head out again?"

"Not at all, I'm sure that our combined intellects will uncover even more about these things in eventually."

* * *

The rest of the day was as would be expected. Donatello and Monalisa joined the others for the last patrol of the night, effortlessly dealing with a few small groups of thugs, nothing really special, and after a few hours of down time back in the lair, they all retired to bed, though Raphael and Monalisa did spend some time making love before they finally drifted off to sleep together.

But an hour later, Monalisa woke up after another dream, the same one has she had had the night before, only this time, she remembered it, both of them. Tiredly, she rubbed her eyes before getting out of bed and walking over to the bathroom. Splashing her face with some cold water, she looked herself in the mirror and pondered on the dream.

'What was that dream?' she thought. 'It felt so familiar. And the humans, their suits looked the same as that finger. Then there were those aliens in golden armour, just like that piece of metal we found, and some with crystals as well. And all those monsters, so many claws of all sizes, the one we found could easily have been from them. But why did I have such a dream? And two nights in a row? Did the samples really affect me that much? Or was it something else?'

Monalisa searched her mind for anything that could make sense out of the strange events, then it hit her.

'Wait… the slug… what if… what if that's also connected to the other pieces… oh no. I must talk to Donnie!'

But just as she was about to turn around and leave, her thoughts felt muddled and then a rush of information overwhelmed her for a brief moment. Her mind was filled with knowledge on how to identify prey with beneficial traits, assimilate essence, spin genetic strands, use biological warfare, adapt.

It was things that she shouldn't even know, things that were focused on survival, things that in the end were dishonourable. Things that she felt… that she liked.

"On second thought, there is no need to bother him with something so insignificant."

Looking back at her mirror image, she smirked and her irises glowed orange.

 **Uh-oh! It seems like Mona isn't quite herself any more. Who knows what she will do now.**

 **Notes: the Skyrim events refer to my story Mutants Misplaced, 'Dragon-April' to Dragoness, and probably a few others that I might have missed, including to fellow fanfic writer Bloodrayne666's stories. Monalisa, Pandora and Kemeko belong to her.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning! Contains blood, gore and somewhat sexual content. Turn away if that offends you! No, really!**

 **Chapter 3**

 **A Brood of One**

Monalisa hurried through the sewers, completely on her own and undressed, for it was early in the morning topside and thus the others in the lair were fast asleep. But she didn't care about any of that at the time, she was far too busy searching.

She knew the strength of the aliens known as Zerg, and their powers would be the ultimate tool to take out her enemies once and for all, but out of all the knowledge that had assailed her mind, there was one thing that was the most pressing, finding a safe spot for her plans, a place where she could raise her army. And she had a hunch of where that place might be.

Knowing where all of Donatello's security cameras were, she easily avoided them as she made her way through the surrounding sewers. It had its advantage to help him install them all. But it wasn't the sewers themselves that were of interest, but rather the deep caverns below them. Much like the cave systems around the mutant sanctuary of Mutopia below Chicago, the underground of New York was also deep and mostly unexplored. She and the turtles had been down in a few of those areas on rare occasions, but had never gone very far.

After spending the better part of two hours searching through various paths and passages down into the deeps, she finally found one area that was just what she was looking for. It was a huge cavern, roughly circular with some irregularities, easily over five hundred feet across and nearly two hundred feet to the ceiling. There was a natural fountain in one corner, but the water was heavily polluted with naturally occurring sulphur, as well as other elements, though the glowing fungus along the walls seemed to have adapted to that. In addition, there were many other tunnels leading deeper into the earth, but how deep wasn't interesting to Monalisa at that point.

But the best part of the cave, was its location. Despite having such an impressive height, it was well over a mile below the surface, and yet it only required thirty minutes of running to reach it from the lair, making it an excellent place. Now all that was missing were resources, and Monalisa knew how she could get that, and she could hardly wait.

But first, she had to get to the surface.

* * *

Going topside at those hours was dangerous for Monalisa and her fellow mutants, as the majority of the humans were awake and about. While New York was known as the city that never sleeps, there were still significantly fewer humans around during the nights, making it easier to avoid getting seen, especially since it was darker.

But that wasn't the case now, and Monalisa knew that, she also knew that there were areas where she still could get up without being seen. Still, she had to be careful, she hadn't brought any weapons, or even clothes with her, so she was exposed in more ways than one.

One by one, she checked the deepest alleyways, carefully lifting the lids of the manholes so that she could see what was in them, and eventually, she got lucky.

She found herself in the basement of an old parking house in the southern parts of the city, and it was actually used as a base by the feared Purple Dragon gang. Monalisa hated them with a passion, and with good reasons, as they were the reason that she had mutated in the first place. Normally, she would at least think twice before going up against too many of them, for she knew that she could get overpowered if there were too many of them, and if they used their dishonourable tactics.

But now, she didn't care about honour, it wasn't beneficial for survival, so she would do whatever she needed to to survive. Luckily, there weren't many gang members around, since they were also more active at night, and she could easily handle the lonesome two that were nearby. One was bald with lots of piercings, rings and studs in his face and ears, wearing a black shirt with the arms ripped off and the tattoo on his chest, the second one had blonde dreadlocks and a long-sleeved teal shirt with their logo on both the back and chest and spiked boots.

Stealthily, she slid the lid off to the side and climbed up behind an old car wreck, spying over the remains. They were leaning against the wall next to the stairs up to the higher floors, where the rest of the gang present were. If anything happened, the two would alert the rest, and Monalisa didn't want that, at least not yet.

Quickly and quietly, she made her way closer to the guards, now hiding behind a garbage bin. They were less than fifteen feet away and had yet to see her. She smirked and her eyes flickered orange, then she stood up and walked towards them with a slight seductive gait, letting a couple of her locks hang over one eye.

"Hello, boys." she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"What the hell?!" the bald thug exclaimed, seeing the naked lizard mutant just a few feet away from them.

"That's one of the freaks! But… she's… naked?!" the other one said. The two clearly had trouble processing what they were seeing.

"Now, now, there's no need for names. I just thought you'd like to have some fun." Monalisa said, giving them a wink. "No guns, no weapons, no friends upstairs or below, just little old me and the two of you."

"W-what is she on about?! Is she offering what I think she is?" the one with dreadlocks said, looking at his friend in complete shock.

"Come on, boys, don't keep a girl waiting." Monalisa said, walking up even closer to the two.

"H-hey! S-stay away!" the bald one stammered, but soon he felt Monalisa's hand on his cheek.

"Hush, dear. If you don't pay attention, you might just miss out on all the fun."

Monalisa brought her face close to the thug's and he could feel her breath against his face. With one swift movement, she kicked him in the groin with her knee so hard that he couldn't even cry out in pain, he just collapsed on the floor.

His friend was caught completely off guard, and that gave Monalisa enough time to deal with him as well, by sinking her teeth into his throat before he could utter a single sound. As her teeth pierced his flesh and his blood began seeping into her mouth, she placed her foot on the throat of the other thug, so that he wouldn't disturb her meal.

Then she ripped out a large chunk of flesh from her victim, blood splattering over her body as she swallowed the flesh and again placed her mouth over the wound, aiming to get as much blood as possible, all while the last thug could only watch, still paralysed by pain and terror.

A few moments later, Monalisa released her grip on the now dead gang member and let him drop to the floor with a thud.

"Delicious." Monalisa said, licking her lips. "A shame that Sephie didn't try it when she was a vampire, she would have loved it."

Turning her attention to the bald thug under her foot, she stepped off of him and pulled him onto his feet, pressing him against the wall, just like she had done with his friend, placing one hand over his mouth.

"I could say that I'm sorry about this, but I would be lying. I'm enjoying this like you wouldn't believe." she said, right before she bit him in the throat as well. He tried to stab her in the stomach with a knife, and while she jerked slightly from the wound, it did little to stop her from ripping out his throat with her teeth too.

Once she had drunk as much blood as she could, she pulled out the knife from her stomach, and the wound healed, at a rate faster than normal for even her. Stabbing it into the back of one bodies, she then dragged the bodies into the sewer, leaving only some small puddles of blood as evidence of what had happened. Then began the long trek back to the cavern that she had found, dragging the corpses with her as quickly as she could.

* * *

It took her almost an hour to get back to the cavern, and now she was running out of time, it wouldn't be long before the others started to wake up, so she had to work fast. Taking a rather large rock in her hands, she began crushing the heads of the two corpses, beating them until all the bones of their skulls were broken into pieces.

Once done, she started tearing into the corpses, ripping off handfuls of chunks of meat and devouring them with a hunger that she hadn't felt since the two years after her mutation. She started with the bloody remains of the heads, swallowing pieces of skin, flesh and brain matter, together with any pieces of bones, teeth and even piercings, then she moved on to the hands, pulling them apart and swallowing one flesh-covered finger bone after the other. Taking the knife, she then started cutting off large portions from the softer parts of the bodies, like the stomachs, the thighs and the arms, which she then ate as well.

Her stomach started to swell as it filled up with all that she consumed, but long before she had even eaten a tenth of the bodies, she sat back on the floor and held her now swollen stomach. It looked like she was almost four months pregnant, she even felt like she was it, but then she felt how her insides started to twist and squirm, as if her organs shifted around and changed shape, it even showed from the outside, the soft scales on her stomach shivering as the changes happened.

After a few minutes, she got onto all four and began coughing and heaving as her insides began to contract, sprays of an almost transparent dark green liquid came out of her mouth, staining the cave floor under her. A few seconds later, she felt how something larger was on its way, and after a few seconds more, a nearly foot long and two inches thick larva was regurgitated, together with more of the liquid. It looked just like the smaller one that had infested Monalisa, only larger and with more green than purple.

It was an unpleasant experience, but a necessary one, though Monalisa hoped that she wouldn't have to go through it again any time soon. Looking down on the larva, seeing it squirm on the ground and hearing it shrill and trill, she smiled as she picked it up and carried it to the remains.

"Welcome to the world, little one." she said as she placed it on the carcasses. "Now, eat up. You need the biomass to help me destroy my enemies."

It didn't take long until the larva started digging into the bodies, its powerful mandibles biting through even the thickest of bones with ease, even the metal of the knife was no match for the larva, as it too was consumed. After a few minutes, the larva stopped eating and looked at Monalisa expectedly.

"You know what to do. Morph into a drone." she said, her eyes glowing orange, as did the eyes of the larva.

As soon as she said that, the larva tensed up and a thin layer of mucus started to seep out of its body at an alarming rate, covering not only it, but also the remains and the ground underneath them with a sickly green organic film. It was then filled with fluid and grew to a size that could easily encompass Monalisa as well, and the soft cocoon pulsated and beat like a heart, all while the remains of the two Purple Dragons were being digested and absorbed inside of it, feeding the larva during its transformation.

It only took a few seconds for the larva to create the cocoon, and while it was safe inside, Monalisa sat down on the floor next to it, keeping one hand on it as she waited. In the meantime, her body also recovered, her stomach had been left rather flabby after eating so much and spawning the larva, but it was already returning to the well toned shape it used to have, leaving only the blood and green liquid on Monalisa's body as any kind of evidence.

She would have to get cleaned up before the others saw her like this, she couldn't have them know about this, not yet.

After a few short minutes, the cocoon finally hatched, spilling more green liquid over both the ground and Monalisa, but she didn't mind, she just licked up that which was on her lips and admired her larva's new form.

The now drone had a four foot long, brown, segmented body with a pair of pincer claws at the end of arms to the side of its head. From right behind its two arms and all the way to the tip of the tail, were green fleshy, webbed membranes, which gave it a similar look to that of a manta ray. It hovered a few feet over the ground, looking expectedly at Monalisa yet again.

"Beautiful." she said, petting it on its head. "You will be the beginning of the end for my foes. But there's still a long way to go before we can take the fight to them. Until that day, we got more work that needs doing."

Looking around in the cave, Monalisa began analysing what needed to be done.

"We'll need more biomass, a lot more, that is our main concern. We can easily gather the minerals and metals that we need from the bedrock, and the fountain over there will be a good source of accelerant with its sulphur. Until I tell you otherwise, keep digging and expanding those tunnels, gathering the rocks and ore that you can find, and place it over in that corner."

The drone buzzed and hovered off to start its work, its pincers easily digging into the hard rock walls and large boulders, cutting out large chunks or smaller shards that it dropped off where it had been instructed to.

* * *

With the drone working, Monalisa hurried back to the lair, hoping that no one had woken up early. As she entered through the secret door, she was relieved to find the lair just as dark and quiet as she had left it. Taking a few seconds to catch her breath, she could feel in her mind that the drone continued to work tirelessly and without complaints. She was constantly connected to the drone, and, she would guess, all that would come after it as well, through the collective psyche known as the hivemind, of which she was in command.

But for the moment, she pushed that aside, and the orange in her eyes flickered before fading, leaving her normal blue eyes. With that out of the way, she had only a few preparations to take care of before heading to the shower to wash away the signs of the recent events.

Things were only getting started.

 **The new Mona is vicious, and this is just the start. Like she said, she is building an army, and those of you that know the Zerg knows that that is a bad thing for their foes.**

 **Will her family discover this, or will they be blissfully unaware? Maybe we'll find out next time.**

 **Also, credit to Bloodrayne666. Monalisa's hatred for the Purple Dragon gang stems from her story 'Fury Within Her'. Go read it, okay? :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning! Contains sexual content! Get the heck out of here if you can't handle that!**

 **Or just scroll down to the first line break. Just a fair warning. Otherwise, enjoy!**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Resource Management**

Raphael awoke to find that he was alone in the bed.

"Babe?" he asked out aloud, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, but as he looked around, he couldn't see Monalisa anywhere in their room. There was, however, a folded note on the nightstand, which he opened and read.

'Hey, babe.

I woke up early, and felt like taking a long… hot… shower.

You can join me when you wake up.

I'll leave the door unlocked…

Mona ;)'

Raphael couldn't help but smirk after reading the note, it was practically an invitation to a really steamy time with his beloved mate, something that he would gladly take her up on. He gathered some stuff that he thought that they would need once they were done before he left for the shower.

Leaving their room, he found that the others hadn't awoken quite yet, which would give them some more time to themselves, and the note alone had already gotten Raphael excited, and he felt a familiar tingling sensation in his tail.

Slowly opening the door to the bathroom, he could hear the water of the shower and Monalisa softly humming a little melody. The steam on the shower's glass door partially obscured her body, but Raphael could still see her back and how she caressed her arms legs and tail as she washed herself with the water flowing over her.

Smirking, Raphael locked the door behind him and walked over to the shower. Stealthily sliding inside, he gently put his arms around his mate's waist and nuzzled the side of her neck affectionately, making her gasp lightly in pleasure.

"Glad you got my note, baby." Monalisa said with a smile, reaching back with one hand to stroke the side of Raphael's face.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, hun." he whispered in her ear, followed by kissing her cheek. He then let one hand slide along her scaly stomach, reaching one of her breasts which her gently kneaded and stroked.

"Mmm… glad to hear it." Monalisa purred, her hand taking and guiding his other hand to her other breast, and her tail stroking the insides of his legs.

One of Raphael's hands moved downward from Monalisa's breasts, coming to a rest between her legs and carefully sliding a finger along her opening before entering her, making her gasp from pleasure yet again. In return, she let her tail wrap itself around Raphael's now erect organ, moving up and down it, and bringing it to its full size.

"Damn it, babe, you really know how to work that tail of yours." he said, nibbling the side of her neck.

"I know." she replied, only to take a step forward, breaking the close embrace. She placed both hands against the wall, spread her legs and lifted her tail. "I also know that this is your favourite position, and that you love this view."

"Can't deny that." Raphael said with a smirk. Seeing how his mate was offering herself to him, and the water flowing across her body, made his organ twitch in anticipation. He let his finger slide back inside his lover, feeling her wet walls clenching expectedly around it.

"Ooh… that feels good, Raph honey… but let's skip the foreplay today. I dreamt about this tonight, and I'm already soaked… take me now…"

Raphael didn't need any more incentive than that, and took a hold of Monalisa's hips, his member prodding her lower lips for a while.

"Don't tease me!" she said, her tail wrapping around Raphael's waist and pulling him closer with a yank, pushing his organ inside Monalisa's waiting hole.

Raphael was so taken aback by this, so unprepared, that he didn't have the time to react before Monalisa began thrusting against him while she also kept pulling on him with her tail, effectively doing all of the work on her own. There had been times when Monalisa had been the more dominant one, but this time she was even more passionate than normal, and Raphael could only enjoy the ride as his mate dictated the pace, moaning loudly.

They kept going for a few minutes, connected as wild lovers, but then Monalisa released her grip and pulled away from Raphael. But rather than doing anything that Raphael expected, Monalisa traded places with him, pushing him against the wall, his back turned towards her. Reaching down between his legs, she took a firm grip around his organ and pulled it backwards, which was easy with its location in Raphael's tail, while she positioning herself right behind him, guiding the erect member to her dripping hole.

"Whoa! Mona, what are you doing?!" Raphael cried out surprised.

"Hush, darling." she said softly, as she pushed herself onto the organ, moaning as it filled her up again, then she started to thrust, just like he used to do. "Mmm… I can see why you love this position, babe."

But Raphael didn't answer, he was simply left speechless by the strange, but pleasurable situation that he was in. After a few minutes of reversed thrusting, Raphael felt how Monalisa's walls started clench strongly and rapidly around his member as she climaxed, and he wasn't far away. But before she had even stopped convulsing, Monalisa pulled away, letting Raphael's organ slide out with a 'plop', leaving him with a feeling akin to a dam about to burst.

He wasn't left hanging for long though, as Monalisa dropped to her knees and once again grabbed his drenched organ, bringing it to her mouth and licking it clean of her liquids, her tongue dancing over the head before taking it in her mouth. She began sucking hard on it, greedily taking as much as she could, all while she kept three of her fingers in her still cramping hole.

It didn't take long before Raphael finally climaxed, erupting like a volcano into Monalisa's mouth, and she hungrily swallowed all of his seed.

"Mmm… fuck, I needed that."

"… shit, babe…" Raphael panted. "… that was something new…"

"I was hoping you would like it." she said, standing back up on wobbly legs and kissing Raphael on the cheek. "But now we have to clean up and prepare for breakfast."

* * *

While Monalisa, with only a towel wrapped around her, headed back to their room to get dressed, and then pick up Pandora from her room, Raphael put on his mask, belt and pads, and headed to the kitchen area, his mind still trying to process what had just happened. By now, the other turtles were already up and preparing for breakfast, and as Raphael entered, Leonardo was just about to go and wake up Kemeko so she could get her breakfast too.

"Good morning, Raph." Leonardo said.

"Morning, Leo." Raphael said a bit half-heartedly.

"You okay, bro?" Michelangelo asked, even he noticing that Raph wasn't quite himself. "Rough night?"

"No, I slept well, but, well… something just happened. And I think I want to talk with you guys about it."

"You? Talk with us about a problem? This must be serious." said Donatello.

"I honestly don't know if it is or not, but it's gnawing at me. As you probably noticed, Mona and I took a shower together and, well, things got a bit wild."

"Ughh, am I gonna loose my appetite from this?" asked Michelangelo, holding his stomach as if he was sick.

"Let him continue, Mikey." said Leonardo.

"Look, you all know that Mona and I have sex, that's no secret in any way, and I'm willing to bet that if you had a mate like her, you would too. But I won't ruin your breakfast with too much details, it's just… well, today it was different."

"Different? What do you mean?"

"Normally, Mona is quite passionate, but I'm still the 'dominant one', if you will. Sure, she can take charge, and sometimes do, and I'm fine with that, it really isn't that different from when I'm in charge. But today, she was so wild and aggressive, that I really didn't have a say in what happened. It's not that I disliked it, but that's never happened before, and I might just still be a bit shocked over it."

"But you're still worried." said Leonardo.

"Yeah. I mean, it's probably nothing, but… I don't really know for sure."

"If you ask me, this sounds like a mood swing." said Michelangelo. "Are you sure she isn't pregnant again?"

"Just drop that chain of thoughts, Mikey." said Donatello. "If she really was pregnant, we would have noticed other symptoms before mood swings and a temporary increase in appetite. My thought is that she most likely just felt more… excited than normal for some reason. It can happen to anyone."

"I guess so." said Raphael, thinking about it.

"I'm sure that she's fine, Raph." said Leonardo, placing a comforting hand on Raphael's shoulder. "But we can keep an eye on her if it makes you feel better, just in case. She is our dear sister too."

"Thanks, Leo. And can we keep this just between the four of us?"

"Of course." Leonardo said, and the other two turtles nodded in agreement.

"Appreciated. You know, I don't really say this very often, if at all, but I'm really lucky to have brothers like you."

"Yeah, well, I don't think anyone else could stand you to be honest." said Michelangelo with a smile.

"Don't make me hit you, Mikey. It's too early right now." Raphael groaned. "Even if it's true."

* * *

Back in her and Raphael's room, Monalisa was dressed and ready for the day. But she had more to do than normally, since she had a brood to grow. In fact, the time with Raphael in the shower was a way to get cleaned up without attracting too much suspicion. Not that she didn't enjoy it, quite the opposite, she had loved every second of it.

But she had to put all that aside for the time being, as she had important things to do in her home, the first of which was to get Pandora ready for the day. Gently opening the door to the little humanoid lizard/turtle hybrid's room, Monalisa peered inside and saw her daughter sleeping peacefully in her bed, all snuggled up in the duvet with her stuffed bear toys in her arms.

It was with a smile and a warm feeling in her stomach that Monalisa walked over to Pandora, knelt by her side and gently shook her awake.

"Pandora, sweetie." she said softly. "It's time to wake up."

"Nmm… just a little longer, Mommy…" Pandora half yawned.

"Sorry, my little geisha, but breakfast isn't going to wait."

"Okay…" Pandora yawned loudly.

* * *

Once breakfast was finished, and everyone had eaten, the children were full of energy and went to play together while the adults headed to the dojo for their daily training. And after two hours of hard training, performing moves on command and sparring, master Splinter decided that they were to spend the next hour meditating, as it was just as important for a ninja to train and sharpen their minds as their bodies.

While Michelangelo wasn't too happy with that kind of training, it had saved the lives of him and his brothers before, so he did as told with only minor complaints. Monalisa, on the other hand, was far more enthusiastic about it, and as the five reptiles sat down and emptied their minds, Monalisa was already way ahead of them. She could even go one step further than them, with her new connection to the Zerg hivemind, she could easily see what her drone was doing, experiencing the world through its senses, and even literally transfer her mind into the body of the drone, taking control of it if she wanted to.

But she was more than satisfied with just knowing how it was doing at the time. She should have felt bad for not focusing on the exercise, but since she wasn't fully in her own mind any more in the conventional sense, she was doing just what they were supposed to. Even after just a few short minutes, she could feel that her mind was growing stronger in a way she didn't think possible, and she understood why Tyroth was so diligent with his own meditation, as he said it both strengthened and tempered his magic.

Going back to her drone, she saw that it had managed to dig several feet into the walls, and collected all the debris in the spot she had instructed it. All in all, things were progressing well, but the elements in the rock weren't as rich as the minerals she saw in the information that was given to her last night. Those clear blue crystals were basically condensed elements, and were a very efficient resource, as was the green gas called Vespene.

But she didn't have any of those, they didn't even exist on Earth as far as she knew, and while the fountain with all the elements in the water would be an excellent substitute for Vespene gas when it came to accelerant, the surrounding rocks and earth were sadly not good enough to completely replace the minerals, which meant she needed to find another alternative. And that was biomass.

The city was practically overflowing with biomass. All the plants, animals and even people could be used as biomass, and so could almost all of the tonnes of garbage, and anything that wasn't biomass among it could still be harvested and used in one way or another. But whatever she decided upon using, she still had one more problem; she only had one drone, and if she lost it somehow, she would have to spawn another larva and morph it into a new drone, and that was a process that she would rather not go through again unless necessary.

Harvesting garbage seemed like the safer option, even though she loved the thought of using criminals as a resource, putting those lowlifes to some actual use. But how would she be able to get the garbage? Unlike her, the drone was unable to climb up through the manholes, and even though it floated over the ground, the hole was far too high up for it to reach and it was also to narrow for the drone. Simply relying on whatever junk that were thrown in the sewers wasn't going to be enough, it was too unpredictable.

She needed a way for the drone to reach the surface, without getting spotted by the humans, or worse, Donatello's security cameras. Going over the sewers in her memory, she searched for any possibility to carry out her plan. And she found it.

There were many old entrances to the sewers, tunnels ending with metal grates along the raised foundation of the city, some of which had doors. The drone could use those entrances to go topside, and the metal grates wouldn't be a problem for its strong pincers. From there, it could easily raid nearby dumpsters, garbage cans and the like for the biomass they needed.

Remembering the locations of all the security cameras, she was able to plot several courses to the old entrances that avoided the cameras fields of view, which she then sent to the drone, so that it could move around on its own. And should she and the turtles be heading its way, she could easily tell it to hide a head of time.

With its new orders, the drone stopped digging and left the caveren, heading for the closest exit. After hovering through the sewers for about half an hour, it reached the metal grate that sealed off the tunnel from the outside, but as Monalisa had expected, the metal was no match for the drone's pincers, and it easily cut a hole through the grate, giving it free access to the surface.

After that, it didn't have to go far to find garbage, as a lot had been dumped practically right outside the tunnel. Dozens of plastic bags in all sizes, filled to the limit with all kinds of junk and garbage, and many had even burst open as they had been dumped or as vermin looted them. Several rats were already scrounging for whatever kind of food they could find, but they scattered quickly as the drone came close.

Picking up two bags with its pincers, it spat a thick green liquid on the side of one bag and then pressed the other bag against it, the two now being glued together. It repeated this with several more bags and loose pieces of garbage until it had a ball roughly two and a half feet across, then it started its trip back to the cave, still avoiding all cameras on its way there, only to repeat it continuously until it risked getting spotted when the sun eventually would rise.

Monalisa smirked in her mind as her plan was starting to take shape, but it would still be many weeks before she could start breeding her army. However, she could afford to be paitient with this, she needed to.

And she was only getting started.

 **A bit of sex to begin with, followed by a slightly worried Raphael, a cute little moment with Pandora, and Monalisa securing the resources needed.**

 **Things are starting to build up.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Established**

Ten days had passed since Monalisa had spawned her drone, and it had been busy gathering as much garbage as it could, working tirelessly throughout the nights to haul it back from the surface to the huge cavern that Monalisa had found. When it wasn't collecting garbage during the nights, it kept digging in the cavern during the days, and the pile of rocks and garbage had grown very large as a result, and now it contained enough for Monalisa to proceed to the next phase.

But it hadn't been without problems. There had been a few times when it had almost been spotted by the odd homeless or criminal, but they had only caught a quick glimpse at most, not nearly enough to even begin figuring out what it could have been. Those were however the least nerve-wracking near-encounters, as she and the turtles nearly stumbled upon the drone the first day, but she was able to sense it in time and order it to hide.

That happened because she didn't fully pay attention to where it was in relation to where they were, something that she made sure to never let happen again. She also had to stay aware if any of the turtles headed out in the sewers without her, without drawing attention to herself. It wasn't the easiest task, but she managed to keep track of them without much problem, and she also took it upon herself to meditate daily, to further improve her new mental abilities and manage her drone more efficiently.

During the day that the drone had finished collecting resources, two hours after the inhabitants of the lair had gone to sleep, Monalisa woke up and left the lair, hurrying to the cavern. She could easily just had initiated the next step without being there, but she wanted to see it with her own eyes.

After acquiring the resources needed, she had the drone move it all into the centre of the cavern, forming a pile or rocks and garbage nearly eight feet high and twenty feet wide. As she entered the cavern, the drone was waiting patiently on the top of the pile, and Monalisa couldn't help but smirk.

"Excellent work, my drone." she said, and the drone buzzed in what seemed as happy acknowledgement. "Now, onto the next step. Morph into a hatchery."

Without so much as a tiny buzz, the drone produced the same kind of thin layer of green mucus that it had as a larva, quickly covering not only its entire body, but also a large portion of the pile of resources it was on. Within seconds, the thin film had enveloped all the rocks and balls of garbage, the edges of it reaching the floor of the cavern just underneath the giant pulsating cocoon, and around the edges, a thick, fleshy substance of a dark greyish green colour started to form, growing to cover a few inches of the ground.

Placing her hand on the cocoon, Monalisa could feel how the metamorphosis was progressing within, how the lumps of resources were being dissolved and digested in the now acidic liquid that filled the cocoon, and how the drone absorbed all the elements from them, mutating and changing into a new organism, as was its purpose.

As the minutes passed, the cocoon grew larger and larger, reaching almost a hundred feet into the air, and was almost as wide. It started pulsating at faster intervals, and Monalisa knew that it was about to hatch, so she withdrew to a safer distance, not wanting to be drenched by the liquid inside of it when it burst. Not that she disliked it, but she felt that it was still too soon after the last time for her to be able with getting away with another early shower.

Now standing fifty feet away from the cocoon, she watched as the thin membrane finally burst, showering the ground with the dark green fluids that was inside, and the new lifeform was revealed. It was shaped almost like a ziggurat with a round base, eighty feet tall and ninety feet wide, with five large bone-spikes protruding from the base, bent upward and reaching a height of fifteen feet. Between the bone-spikes, were large orifices that constantly convulsed, leading deeper into the organic structure. On the top of the hatchery were five smaller bone-spikes, symmetrically placed to the orifices, giving a maw-like appearance. Most of the body was a dark brown, with large portions of green carapace matching the scales of Monalisa on certain areas, and there were several bright green blister-like objects on the lower half of the fleshier parts of it.

One of the blisters burst open after a few seconds, a new larva spilling from it and sliding down to the very base, while a new blister started to form. The fleshy substance at the base also grew, spreading like mold over the floor at inches per second, and before long, it had covered almost all of the cavern floor, just barely not reaching the water of the fountain.

This substance, creep as it was called, would sustain all kinds of Zerg by mere touch, transferring nutrients, metals and minerals into them, both creature and structure, elements that it absorbs from the ground that it covers, with the use of tendril-like roots that reach several feet below its fleshy surface. It also granted her sensory awareness, allowing her to see and identify anything that stepped onto it.

But there was one thing that was a major concern, the hatchery, as well as the new larva and the creep, all carried a lot of different viruses, and it would be very bad if any of them made their way into the drinking water of the city. But all it required was a mental command from Monalisa for them to stop producing the viruses, and neutralise those already present. At first she thought it strange that the hatchery and company possessed that trait, when the drone it used to be, and the larva before that, did not, but as she thought about it, it became clear that creating the hatchery unlocked those sequences in the Zerg DNA.

She would have to go over whatever other new things that the hatchery had given her access to, but at a later time, for while she had been thinking about it, more larvas had spawned from the hatchery, bringing their number up to five. The hatchery would continuously spawn as many larvas as it could support, which in this case was five, after which it would stagnate until the larvas had been used, and then it would replace them with roughly ten second intervals.

Sending a mental command to three of the larvas, they all entered into cocoons, and a few minutes later, they hatched into drones. Monalisa was glad that she had had her drone go through the extra effort to gather more resources than the hatchery required, because otherwise she wouldn't have been able to create more drones without gathering the resources herself.

Now she had three more, and after giving them their instructions, she left them to their work and left for home. Two of them would go to the surface and keep gathering garbage, while the third would continue to dig out the tunnel. Everything that they gathered was fed to the orifices of the hatchery, the insides pushing the resources into the centre of the organic structure like intestines push food through the digestive system, and once in the centre, it was likewise digested by a giant pool of acid, feeding the entire swarm and storing for future use.

Things were starting to take shape, but there was still a lot to do.

* * *

When Monalisa got back to the lair, she headed straight for bed again, snuggling up against her lover and falling asleep shortly after, getting another four hours of sleep before it was time for a new day.

Later, when the others all had woken up, and breakfast was being prepared, Donatello sat at the table with a laptop in front of him, reading something.

"Donatello." Splinter said. "Must you bring that device to the breakfast table?"

"I'm sorry, master Splinter. But I'm reading the news, there have been some strange things on them the last week."

"Strange things? What kind of strange things?" Leonardo asked.

"For some reason, someone have cut open a few of the old entrances into the sewers."

"The old grates?" Michelangelo asked, to which Donatello nodded.

"Why would anyone want to do that?" said Monalisa. "There are far easier ways to get in and out of the sewers, we should know."

"Exactly, but someone have still done it. Four times actually, in different areas, and that's not all. A lot of garbage have seemingly vanished in the areas surrounding those entrances as well."

"So someone is cutting up the old entrances, and is stealing garbage? Who in their right mind would do something that stupid?" said Raphael, unknowing that Monalisa mentally cursed for the insult, even though she knew that he couldn't know.

"Stealing garbage? Sounds like something that ugly Garbageman would do. You don't think that dude is back, do you?" said Michelangelo, chewing his lip.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mikey." Donatello said, closing his laptop. "His submarine was damaged beyond operability as it sunk into that crevasse, and that deep under water, it was certainly crushed by the pressure, with him in it."

"I really hope so. He was disgusting." Michelangelo said, shuddering at the memory of their old foe.

"I remember you telling me about him." said Monalisa. "Did he really build a city out of junk and garbage on the ocean floor?"

"Believe it, sis. Junklantis was a really strange place, and Garbageman was straight out nuts."

"That's enough, Mikey." said Raphael. "I don't want to give Pandora nightmares by talking about that guy."

"But I want to know!" Pandora half-whined. "Tell me about the garbage-man, please."

"Tell us story! Tell us story!" Kemeko cheered.

"Another day, geisha. You're a little too young for those kinds of stories right now."

"And that goes for you too, my little lotus blossom." said Leonardo, patting her on her head, making her giggle.

But Pandora only pouted, tiered of being too small all the time, and Kemeko mimicked her adoptive cousin, trying to pout as well. The adults couldn't help but laugh at the cute girls.

However, Monalisa's mind was focusing on other things as well. If the excursions of her drones had been noticed by her family, she would have to be even more vigilant so that her brood didn't get caught. And if Donatello were to think about installing more surveillance cameras in the sewers, she had to learn where, but without drawing attention to herself. Maybe she could help him if that would come to pass.

* * *

As the day progressed as normal for the mutants, Monalisa kept a watchful thought on her drones, something that she had done even as she slept. Whenever they had collected enough biomass, she ordered the morphing of another drone, and once that had hatched, it joined the others in either going to the surface or digging.

By the time that the mutants came back from their last patrol, the number of drones had more than tripled, now numbering eleven, and resources were now being gathered at a much higher rate.

But as she ordered a twelfth to be morphed, nothing happened. Thinking that her order didn't reach her hive cluster, she sent it again, yet the results were still the same. Confused, she focused even harder on the order, and still nothing happened, forcing her to delve deeper into her knowledge to find the answer.

She found another active strain within the DNA of the larva, one that she had overlooked before. Focusing on it, an image appeared in her mind, of a large creature, almost the shape of a brain covered in thick carapace with a few broad spikes. Eight long insectoid legs dangled from its underside, the front two were thicker and ended in large pincer-claws, while an insectoid head was on the front of the body, eight eyes adorning it. There were also two large blister-like growths on the upper sides of the body, filled with gas.

This was a so called Overlord, and its function was to expand the control of the swarm, allowing the command creatures to manage even larger numbers, acting as an extension of their will, while also providing a large field a view with its sensitive eyes. It was also somewhat capable to lead a brood as well, if only at the most basic level. There were also several latent mutations within the DNA of those creatures, beneficial mutations that could be awakened throughout the entire strain with an infusion of biomass and accelerant.

Monalisa smiled mentally at it having the same name as an old enemy of Sephie and Tyroth. The fact that she would using them for expanding her brood, and ordering them around, was an amusing thought.

Ordering the creation of one of them, she noticed that it required twice as much biomass as a drone, and would take longer time to gestate as well. She felt how a larva formed a cocoon, how it morphed inside of it, but to her surprise, the cocoon didn't grow larger as it neared completion, making her question just how big it actually would be.

But as the cocoon burst open, the overlord's body expanded to its full size, which was that of a garbage-truck, almost as if it had been compressed while inside the cocoon. As it floated up to the ceiling, Monalisa felt how she could now control even more Zerg, making her aware of the feeling of the limit she had. It was a pleasant surprise however, that overlords didn't require that which they supplied. With more supply to use, Monalisa had her brood resume creating more drones whenever enough biomass had been gathered, occasionally saving more for another overlord.

But there were still a few problems remaining. First, people had taken notice of the openings that the drones had done, as had the turtles, which would make it harder to acquire more garbage, especially when her drones eventually would have to open another of the entrances. Which brought her to the second problem, potentially exhausting the available garbage.

The creep was absorbing more than enough resources to sustain a large number of biological structures, and even if she somehow was able to fill all of the creep with them, she would still have enough of a surplus to use as she pleased, she just had to save it up for basically anything. She still had to at the moment, even if it went quicker, but it was better than nothing, and she had to figure out another sources of biomass.

A large garbage-dump or a landfill would be a great source, but they were incredibly difficult to reach with the drones' current method to go topside. Had they been able to go up through the manholes, it wouldn't have been a problem, but with none of the old entrances close to any such spots, Monalisa needed another approach.

For the time being, she directed more of the drones to help digging instead, hoping that she could make a tunnel to one of the several landfills that people wouldn't notice if something happened to it.

As she thought about it, she decided to change her plans slightly. Her swarm would continue to grow, creating more drones as before, and once she reached her limit again, another overlord would be made as well, but after that, she would save up all the biomass she could.

There were two bio structures that she wanted to create as soon as possible. One was the extractor, which was an organic refinery that was grown on Vespene geysers and collected the gas as a condensed liquid in fleshy sacks. It would function pretty much the same if placed on top of the fountain to extract the sulphur and various other elements together with the water.

The other structure she wanted was the spawning pool, as its mere construction would unlock the sequences needed for the drones to morph into even more kinds of structures, but most importantly, it would allow the larvas to morph into another strain called zerglings, the most basic of the many combat oriented Zerg strains. Once she could create those, she would be able to actually engage her foes, if only small numbers to start with, but eventually, they would all fall before her.

 **Mona's hive cluster has finally started taking shape, with a hatchery, more drones and an overlord, but more is still to come.**

 **The old enemy of Tyroth and Sephie, Overlord, is a reference to my very first story, Mutant Vigilantes.**

 **Likewise, Garbageman and Junklantis refer to the episodes of the same names, way back in the timeline of the cartoon. And Mona is doing pretty much the same as he did back in the days, taking what others throw away and making something out of it. She just don't kidnap people, yet. Sure, she's killed a few already, but not kidnapped any yet.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Breakthroughs**

A few days later, Monalisa and the turtles were on patrol, jumping across the rooftops of the city as they had done countless times before. The night had been somewhat calm, with only a few smaller groups of criminals that needed to be dealt with, something that the mutants did easily.

* * *

A well-placed kick both robbed the last thug of his gun, and knocked him onto his back as the kick sent the gun flying right into his face. Monalisa was quick to kick him again, across the face, before he had the time to even try and recover from the first hit, this time breaking his neck.

"That's the last of them." she said, panting as she looked over to her family.

"They had a lot of guns, these guys." said Michelangelo. "I'm actually impressed that they didn't even get to fire a single shot."

"We were simply too good for these losers." said Raphael, spinning his sais before placing them back in his belt. "So how many where they?"

"Eight." Donatello said after a quick glance, as he and the others began tying up the surviving thugs. "And we only had to kill three of them."

"Best to stash the bodies somewhere, then we can resume our patrol." said Leonardo.

"Sure thing, but where?" said Michelangelo. "There are no dumpsters or boxes or anything to hide them in this alley. And I for one am not up for dragging dead bodies to another alley."

"I suppose we could dump them in the sewers. The bastards that attacked me did that with my 'corpse'." Monalisa said in a grave tone.

"I don't know about that." Leonardo began, but then he noticed that there were someone walking down the alley. Luckily, whoever it was was still too far away to see them. "Shell! Okay, do like Mona said, and let's get out of here!"

Quickly, the mutants pulled off the lid of a nearby manhole, dropped the dead bodies down into the sewers, slid the lid back and jumped up onto the rooftop via the fire escapes.

Looking down into the alleyway, they saw that it was in fact two people that came walking calmly but alert, and as they noticed the tied up thugs, they hurried over. Now the mutants could see that they were in fact cops out on patrol, a rare but welcomed sight.

"Seems like those five will go straight to jail, without passing go or collecting two hundred dollars." Michelangelo snickered, as he and the other saw the cops take care of the thugs, once they had recomposed themselves after making the discovery.

"That was too close for me." said Monalisa.

"Agreed. And I'm not very comfortable with dumping the bodies in the sewers." said Leonardo. "We have to do something about them before anyone discovers them."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want Pandora to run across them." said Raphael. "But, if she is going to be a ninja like us, I guess she will have to see death for herself one day."

"I try not to think about that, but it is inevitable." said Monalisa with a sad tone. "We got enemies, powerful enemies that won't stop hunting us, and even if they are somehow wiped off the face of the earth, someone else will probably take their place. And then there are the common lowlifes like those down there. We kill because we have to, because they give us no choice as they will kill us without hesitation, and the same will be true for Pandora when she grows up, and Kemeko too."

"It's not an easy life we live, and our children will inherit that whether we want it or not." said Leonardo, placing a hand on Monalisa's shoulder. "We can only do our best to prepare them for it. But they are still too young for that to be an issue right now, so let us enjoy the time we have with them before that day comes."

"Speaking of time, we need to get going." said Donatello. "Let's go a couple of blocks before we head down into the sewers. Don't want to disturb the officers below."

* * *

A few minutes later, the team and reached the place in the sewers where the bodies had been dumped, but to their shock, they were nowhere to be seen.

"Are we sure this is where we dumped them?" Michelangelo asked, scratching his head as he looked around.

"Positive!" Donatello said, pointing at the floor. "See? There is blood on the floor here, from where the guy that Leo cut down landed! They should be here!"

"Then where are they, Donnie?" Raphael said irritated. "It's not like they could just get up and walk away!"

"I don't know! This doesn't make any sense!"

"Do you think they were swept away by the water? There is already a lot of garbage in the waterways around here." said Michelangelo.

"I guess that it's possible, but the streams down here aren't powerful enough for it. They should be close by, but they aren't."

"Calm down, guys." Monalisa said in a calm voice. "Arguing about this isn't helping. There has to be a logical answer to this mystery. Like that someone else must have taken the bodies."

"But who would take three dead bodies?" asked Michelangelo. "Doctor Frankenstein? The Lich King?"

"Whoever it was, they just saved us the trouble." said Monalisa.

"True, but I'm still worried about it." said Leonardo, kneeling down and examining the ground. "But seeing as there are no tracks, there isn't anything we can do about this right now anyway. We'll tell master Splinter about this once we get back."

As the five mutants headed back home, Monalisa smirked internally, for she knew that they wouldn't find any tracks of the body snatchers, for the floating drones don't leave tracks.

It was only by pure luck that the drones were nearby when the fight against the thugs had started, so Monalisa had them wait close enough should she need them, but also far enough to hide. Once the mutants had reached the rooftop, she gave the drones the order to gather the corpses and bring them to the hive cluster. She hoped that eventually, she would be able to do the same to even more criminals, using them as a source of biomass to grow her army to fight them with.

But as it was now, she was still a long way from reaching that point, and it would get increasingly hard to acquire more garbage as her drones collected what was close to the old entrances and had to either go farther or open new paths, but with the turtles on the watch, that would only draw more attention from them.

However, what Michelangelo had said gave Monalisa an idea, there were an awful lot of garbage and junk in the waters in and around New York, especially in the deepest parts, despite the city's clean-up attempts. If only her drones could go into the water and collect those droves of garbage, but she didn't know how they would do that.

From what she understood about the Zerg, they had the uncanny ability to adapt to practically any kind of situation, and at an alarming speed too, and with her having power over the Zerg, she should be able to adapt her brood as she pleases. But she hadn't done that before, the closest would have been that she stopped the production of viruses, but that was only shutting down one single function, not completely changing the genetic code of the drones.

Analysing the DNA of the drone, she decided to at the very least see if she could learn the basics of spinning the genetic strands, and that's when she noticed something that had her check all other sequences of the swarm for the same anomaly, and she found it. They didn't require oxygen, they didn't even need to breathe at all, the only one of the swarm that needed that was her.

'Well that's convenient.' she mused in her mind. 'These Zerg sure are something else. No need to eat or sleep, not even to breathe. I wonder just what else they are capable of.'

Despite all the information that had flooded into her mind when she was infested, that was only a fraction, a small summary of the Zerg, and she had to delve deep into the hive mind and the genetic strands to get more information when required. It was a bother, but as she had looked through the DNA of the drone, she understood why. There were so many things to keep track of that her mind would have been overwhelmed by just the drone's DNA and all the finely selected traits spun into it if she hadn't taken it slow and in smaller parts.

Learning everything about the Zerg would take time, even for someone in her situation.

* * *

Once they arrived back in the lair, they went straight to master Splinter, with Leonardo explaining the strange occurrence. The old rat narrowed his eyes and held his chin in thought when they had finished their explanation.

"Hmm… so the bodies of your foes were gone? And yet it had only taken you a few minutes to reach the place where you had hid them?"

"Yes, master." said Leonardo.

"But there were no traces of who might have moved them? Most strange."

"What do you think about it, master?" Monalisa asked, silently hoping that they wouldn't take actions that would make it harder for her or lead them to the Zerg.

"I do not know, my daughter. Had the foes been from the Foot, they would have gathered their dead at some point. But the short time that had passed, it would have been nearly impossible for even them to remove the bodies. Someone would have to have been at that very spot in order to remove them, but the question about who it might have been, still remains. I will have to meditate upon this further."

As Splinter retreated to his quarters, the others were left to wonder upon the issue as well.

"Okay, so who would steal dead bodies?" Michelangelo asked, trying to sound like Sherlock Holmes. "With no giant monsters roaming around in the sewers, swallowing humans whole, it is elementary that it is none other than doctor Arden."

"While I do agree that Arden would use corpses for his experiments and the like, there would still have to be a lot of Foot ninja there to be able to move the bodies so quickly." said Donatello. "And if they were there, it would have been a far better opportunity to ambush us instead of taking three bodies. It's not like the Foot has a shortage of bodies, live or dead, so I don't know why they would do this, if they did."

"Then I think for the time being," Leonardo began. "that we should just keep our eyes open for any other strange things."

"I agree with you, Leo. Who knows what might be happening." said Monalisa, part of her mind going back to her swarm.

* * *

Back in the hive cluster, the majority of the drones were on their way through the sewers, following their new orders as they travelled to another old entrance, this one ending near the Hudson river. They had cut through the metal grate with ease, creating an easy way to get into the river and back, which allowed them to scour it of new resources.

And they were indeed plentiful. The floor of the river were littered with bags of garbage, old bicycles and shopping trolleys, even a few old car wrecks. All but the 'freshest' of the garbage and junk also had a layer of algae, and the floor itself had a thick layer of sediment, all of which only added to the value.

The drones worked tirelessly gathering all they could and carrying it back to the hatchery, cutting the larger objects into more manageable sizes, and glueing smaller objects together to be able to carry more at a single time. The water didn't even slow them down, they moved as freely in it as above it, their webbed membranes allowing them to swim through the water with ease.

As those drones were busy, the hatchery was busy as well, for two more drones were created, though these were not going to help the others collect resources, instead, they were to be used for creating new structures now that enough resources had been gathered.

One hovered over to a spot some seventy feet away from the hatchery and dug its pincer-claws into the creep covered ground, forming a cocoon around itself, just like the original drone had done. The cocoon grew in size to fifty feet in width, but only five feet in height.

The other drone moved to the fountain and formed its cocoon over it, completely covering the small pool of water that surrounded the water-spewing rock-formation. This cocoon was only forty feet wide, but it was almost as high, and a thin layer of creep was formed just around the edges, just barely connecting with the creep produced by the hatchery.

Both cocoons pulsated as the drones inside transformed into their new forms, but the one on the fountain was the first to burst, revealing the extractor.

It consisted of two large sections, thirty feet tall with three large bone-spikes on top of each section, the spikes reaching another ten feet. Between the two sections was another, smaller section, segmented and only twenty feet tall, it joined the two larger parts. It had a dark green colour, while the two parts was brown and had numerous spots of bright green membranes that expanded and contracted as if the building was breathing. Many small bone-spikes littered the surface of the bio-structure, and several large tubes on the inside of it had tapped into the fountain, collecting and refining the water, sulphur and other elements, using enzymes that it produced as a catalyst to further process it all, the result being a thick, yellow gas that was pumped into fleshy sacks that the drones could pick up.

Shortly thereafter, the second cocoon burst open as well, revealing the spawning pool. It was roughly round in shape, but not entirely, the flesh being a dark green. Being only four feet tall, a row of tooth-looking spikes lining the upper edge of the pool, the teeth bent slightly inwards as if to prevent anyone in the pool from leaving. Several short but thick tendrils protruded from the base and dug into the creep, and a foot wide organic tube was connected to the upper and lower parts of the bio-structure, allowing it to circulate the intense green, thick, primordial ooze that filled the pool almost to the brim.

When Monalisa eventually revealed the existence of the Zerg to her family, she would have to be very careful not to get them exposed to the ooze of the spawning pool. While she had stopped the swarm from passively producing viruses, the ooze was almost nothing else, and any creature that would come into contact with it, would undergo a quick and painful mutation into a more Zerg-like creature, while their DNA would be sampled, analysed and stored for future use.

She could see memories of how numerous humans had been subjected to the Zerg viruses from either the ooze, Zergs in general or other means, and they were monstrous, their bodies twisted into a sick fusion between human and insect, occasionally with uneven or additional limbs. She didn't want that to happen to her family, so she would have to be very careful in order to prevent it, since she couldn't stop the pool's production of ooze as that was its function.

It had originally been used to sample and analyse DNA, by throwing creatures or parts of them into the ooze, until enough had been acquired to create a baseline for that specific creature, and any live specimens would also be infested and mutated in the process. But the Zerg had since then evolved multiple, more effective ways to both acquire DNA and infest other creatures, though the spawning pool still retained its function should the need arise. However, that wasn't why Monalisa wanted the spawning pool, though it could prove useful in the future, but she needed warriors to protect her hive cluster with, and, eventually, destroy her enemies with, and the spawning pool contained the DNA needed for the larvas to become just that.

With a mental order, three larvas encased themselves in cocoons, and less than twenty seconds later, they all hatched into zerglings. With a mix of reptilian and insectoid features, zerglings were roughly the size of a wolf, with powerful, digitigrade hind-legs, the front legs were smaller but seemed like they could also be used as arms, if only it had had hands instead of large claws. A second pair of limbs protruded from the shoulder-blades, armed with even larger sickle-like claws. The entire body was covered in a thick leather-like skin, from the short head to the lizard-like tail and most of it brown with patches of green, and a pair of broad tusks protruded from right behind the jaws, which were filled with sharp teeth. Their eyes scanned their surroundings with a predatory glare.

And as an additional bonus, because of their highly simplistic DNA, zerglings were always born in pairs, so rather than three, the three larvas became six zerglings, and each pair still didn't require more psionic supply of the overlords or Monalisa than a single drone.

As much as Monalisa intended to use them for defence at the time, and eventually offence, there was one more thing that they could do. Their claws were far sharper and stronger than that of the drones, and thus they were ordered to help digging out the tunnel, so that the drones could simply collect the rocks.

Several hours later, when the sun was high in the sky, the Zerg had excavated many tonnes of rocks from the tunnel, expanding it a couple of miles, and that's when they made a breakthrough, literary. They broke through the wall they were digging in, entering another large cavern, larger and far more elongated than the one they came from, but with a much lower ceiling. The walls had lots of the glowing mushrooms, but there were also other light-sources stretching from the middle of the cave and away from the zerglings, but what they were were obscured by large boulders, pillars or something similar.

But, as the zerglings explored their immediate area, a lone individual had spotted them, observing them from a safe distance through his night-vision scope.

"Them are some strange critters. Better tell tha boss."

 **Mona's swarm continues to grow, and now it just got a whole lot more dangerous. Zerglings may be the most basic combat Zerg there are, but they can easily become more than enough to overwhelm most foes.**

 **But the turtles are starting to get suspicious about all the strange things that have been happening, and Mona can't stop them from investigating the events without risking discovery. But will her family really accept the Zerg as her new weapon? I don't think so.**

 **And who was it that lived in that other cave?**

 **References: Mona being attacked and dumped in the sewers refers to her origin in 'Fury within her' by Bloodrayne666, a great story by a great author and friend. :) And the Lich King is a major villain from the Warcraft games.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Complications**

Monalisa stretched her aching muscles after the intense training period she and her adoptive brothers had just been through. Unfortunately for the turtles, they were in far worse shape than Monalisa after the training.

"Man, that was rough…" Michelangelo complained, panting as he was sprawled out on the floor.

"No kidding… master Splinter really pressed us hard today… harder than normal…" said Leonardo, as he leaned against the wall, barely able to stand on his own.

"Come on, guys. It wasn't that bad." said Monalisa.

"Easy for you to say, babe… you're not even short on breath…" said Raphael. "Why is that?"

"I guess I'm just in better shape than you guys. It was hard at first, I'll give it that, but after the first hour, it got easier."

"You did seem just as exhausted as us at that point, even more for a couple of minutes, but then you must have found your second wind." said Donatello.

"Sounds plausible, but I bet I will feel it all in the days to come." she said, stretching a bit more.

But Monalisa knew she wouldn't feel any muscle soreness, not any more, thanks to her DNA being infused with Zerg DNA now. She already had received a powerful boost to her already strong healing ability, placing her in the same class as the dragon-mutant Tyroth, but she also gained a portion of the Zergs' adaptability.

While the training had been harder than normal, being subjected to it for the first hour caused her body to mutate and adapt to that kind of stress, which happened during the few minutes that Donatello noticed her having a harder time, but in reality, that was her body changing, which was very painful but she did her best not to show it. Something that she would normally have gradually grown stronger and adapted to over the course of several weeks, possibly even months, she had now reached in just an hour. She loved that new power, and she was curious to what else she could achieve.

"Let's take a thirty minute breather, then we head out on patrol." said Leonardo.

"For real?!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "But I'm totally tired."

"We still have to patrol the city, Mikey. We are crime fighters after all."

"I'm gonna complain to the union." Michelangelo complained, only to hear Splinter clear his throat behind them. "Um… the union say you're right, Fearless. We leave in thirty."

"It's a miracle what you can achieve with the right motivation." Raphael chuckled.

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the hive cluster, the drones and zerglings were busy, but rather than exploring the new cave, they had been tasked with enlarging the tunnel that connected to it, both in height and in width. Monalisa wanted the tunnel to be twelve feet tall and twenty feet wide, so her Zerg had a lot of work ahead of them, but they didn't complain, they never did.

As much as Monalisa would have wanted to explore the strange lights at the far end of the new cavern, she would want to do that herself at a later time. If there were anyone living there, they would hopefully be less frightened by a humanoid, but disguised lizard, than by any of the Zerg, should they be discovered.

It was just the question of when she would be able to do said exploration. And for the time being, she ordered her Zerg to not engage whoever lived there unless their lives were threatened, and only with minimal force. Best not to make more enemies than she could handle.

But that decision could just come back to bite her, for four humanoid figures were making their way towards the entrance to the tunnel, armed with long rods with metal-wire snares at the end. They wore black armour with grey chests and pads on their elbows and knees, goggle-masks with red glass, and rough boots and gloves.

"Them critters came through here, dug straight through tha' bedrock." one of them said.

"And the boss wants us to capture one of them? I don't like this." said a second one.

"It's either this, or tell the boss you're chicken, and you know what he does with chickens." said a third.

"Let's just get this over with." said the fourth, and they slowly and carefully made their way into the tunnel.

* * *

Topside, the mutants were jumping across the rooftops before coming to a rest on one in the north parts of town. The turtles were glad for the short break, still being a bit tired from their training, but Monalisa wasn't, she was in just as good shape as before they had left, but she didn't let that show.

"Calm night tonight, wouldn't you say?" she said as she sat on the edge, looking out across town.

"Sure is, but we took out a lot of fools yesterday, so that might be the reason." said Raphael, sitting down next to Monalisa and putting his arm around her.

"Well, I for one am totally fine with a calm night. Especially after that training today." said Michelangelo. "No Foot, no Venomous Five, no Purple Dragons, and no small fries. Just a calm and cool night out."

"I'm ready to agree with you, Mikey." said Donatello. "Though, I would personally have preferred to stay back in my lab and keep working on my projects."

"Have you made any progress on those things we found?" Leonardo asked.

"Sadly, no. I've hit a wall with it all, well, not with the robotic finger actually, I think I can still learn a lot from it, but I don't think I can learn more about what they used to be."

"That's a shame, but I guess it can't be helped." said Monalisa, though on the inside she smiled, feeling more secure from her family. "Maybe we should get going, we still got more ground to cover tonight."

As the five mutants readied themselves to continue their nightly patrol, Leonardo sensed that something was off.

"What's up, Leo?" Raphael asked when he noticed his brother scanning the surroundings.

"I don't think we're alone."

Almost on queue, two dozen Foot ninja revealed themselves on the neighbouring rooftops, their weapons drawn.

"Man… why can't we ever get the drop on them for a change?!" Michelangelo complained, he and the others drawing their weapons.

"We can always drop them dead!" said Raphael.

A fierce battle ensued, blades clashing as the mortal enemies began fighting. But that wasn't the only engagement at that time.

* * *

Down in the underground, the four men had made their way through half of the tunnel, and had seen more of the Zerg in the distance, but hadn't been spotted themselves just yet. Hunkering down, they waited for a chance to make their move, and then get out of there as fast as possible.

A lone zergling came walking towards them, sniffing the air as it had caught their scent and moved to investigate the new presence. As it spotted the men, it stopped and growled at them, then slowly taking a few steps towards them.

"NOW!" one of the men shouted once the zergling was close enough, and all four of them leaped towards the zergling, taking it by surprise as they tried to get the snares around it. The first one missed as the zergling darted to the side, but the second caught one of its dorsal claw-arms, restraining the zergling's movements enough for two other snares to latch on around the head, followed shortly by the forth and last snare around the last dorsal limb.

"Okay! Let's get it back to the boss! And hurry, before more show up!"

The zergling struggled and pulled against the metallic snares, but couldn't pull free from its restraints, and with the orders not to engage unless a life-threatening event happened, it didn't know what to do, and could only reluctantly follow the four men as they led it away from its kin.

* * *

Up on the rooftops, the mutants had managed to take out most of the ninja, but a few were still standing and fighting, one of which had just been disarmed by Monalisa, and had to rely on a kunai for weapon. But as the two were fighting, Monalisa was alerted to the event in the tunnel, and thus was distracted for a split second, the lack of focus allowing her foe to jab his kunai into her side.

The sharp pain was enough to snap Monalisa back into the fight, and she quickly retaliated by punching him in the face, causing him to stagger backwards a bit and pulling out the kunai. Clutching her wound, Monalisa quickly kicked her foe in the chest, knocking him backwards and into a wall.

'Shit! Heal! Heal!' Monalisa thought, holding her wound and hoping it would heal before the other noticed it.

But the ninja wasn't down yet, and quickly got back into the fight, though he didn't get very far, for Raphael had dashed up behind him and struck him in the back of the head with the handle of a sai, knocking him out.

"You okay, babe?!" he asked worried, seeing the blood on Monalisa's hand and side.

"I'll be fine, hun. It's only a shallow cut, it just bled a lot, but it will heal. Is there anyone left?"

"Doesn't seem like it." said Leonardo, looking around and seeing that all Foot ninja lay on the ground unconscious. "Is everyone okay?"

"Mona got cut!" said Raphael.

"It's nothing serious, I'll be fine."

"I would still want to check that all the same." said Donatello.

"Then how about we get out of here and back home?" said Michelangelo. "Before more Foot fools show up."

The mutants quickly made their way across a few more rooftops before going down to street-level and then into the sewers. They took it a little slower than normal, because of Monalisa's injury, though it had already healed by the time they started moving.

On their way back, Monalisa focused on the zergling, trying to see what it saw, but was met with darkness and the smell of cloth. The men had placed a cloth-bag over its head in an attempt to pacify it, and it didn't know what to do. Monalisa was however more curious than worried, so she ordered the zergling to play along until further notice, so she could learn more about these men and their intentions. And as they were walking back to the lair, Monalisa tired to focus on the zergling's other senses to figure out where they were taking it, but that proved slightly more difficult than she thought.

She had in fact been so focused on that, that she barely noticed when they got home, or when Donatello checked her now healed wound, she just responded half-heartedly whenever he asked how she was feeling. Walking out of the medical room, she continued to try and figure out where the zergling was being taken, but she couldn't interpret the smells that it was picking up, she wasn't used to that sensitive sense of smell, but she thought that she smelled metal, plastic and more humans.

"Mummy!" Pandora called out as the little mutant hurried over to her mother, partially breaking Monalisa out of her focused mental state. "Can you play with me? Pretty please?"

"Not now." she responded bluntly.

"But, mummy-"

"I said not now!" Monalisa snapped, glaring at Pandora and making her take a step back.

"M-mummy?" Pandora stammered, tears forming in her eyes. Her mother had never yelled at her before.

That's when Monalisa realised that she had made a mistake, so she quickly sent a mental order to the zergling to play along until further notice, before completely pushing away everything that had with the Zerg to do. Her daughter was the most important thing in the world to her, and she was doing everything to protect her.

"I'm so sorry, Pandora!" she said quickly, kneeling and picking up her daughter, holding her close. "I didn't mean to yell. It's not your fault, little geisha, Mommy is just very, very tired right now."

"Why?" Pandora asked, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

"We've trained really hard today, and I was hurt while we were on patrol."

"Hurt? Someone hurt you, Mummy?"

"They did, Pandora. Those bad people that I've told you a little about. It's healed now, and I'm alright, but I'm still very tired."

"I'm sorry, Mummy. I didn't know."

"It's not your fault, my precious." Monalisa said, using her thumb to wipe away the tears. "How about we watch a movie together? That way I can rest a little, and then we can play together."

"Okay, Mummy."

But while Monalisa tried to patch things up with Pandora, other events were in motion, which she was completely unaware of.

* * *

The captured zergling was being led farther and father away from the hive cluster by the four men, their nooses holding it secured and the clothe over its head obstructing its vision. It could easily have escaped its restraints, but since it had been ordered to play along, it would do just that.

"We brought you the creature, boss." it heard one of the men say.

"Excellent." another male voice said, this one being on the darker side. "Such an interesting being, I have never seen its like before. But why is its head covered?"

"It seems to calm it, boss." said another of the men that had caught the zergling. "It kept struggling until we covered its eyes. Might be best to keep it like that."

"That you say, huh?" said the leader. "Well, it won't be an issue for long. Take it to my lab, I'll have it dissected shortly."

With that, the zergling was again led somewhere, knowing fully well what awaited it, but it would not disobey its orders.

Zerglings aren't the most intelligent creatures, that actually goes for almost all of the different Zerg strains, but regardless of what strain, or how powerful their brains were, they all had the same dogma.

My life for the Swarm.

* * *

In the Foot HQ, doctor William Arden was in his laboratory, continuously working on his various serums. With the Foot's true leader, Shredder, back in charge, Arden was determined to not disappoint his master, so he was always looking for ways to improve his creations, the Venomous Five especially.

He was however interrupted as a Foot ninja entered the lab and bowed before the scientist.

"Doctor Arden, sir."

"What do you want?" Arden asked, frowning at the distraction, the large scar on the left side of his face wrinkling around his eye. "Speak quickly."

"Hai, sir. Our patrol encountered the turtle and their lizard whore earlier. And while we were defeated, we suffered no casualties."

"That is why you disturbed me? Such a report should be delivered to Arashi, not me!"

"With all due respect, sir, there is more." the ninja said, trying not to shake in fear of the angered doctor, knowing fully well what happens to those who he deem useless.

"During the fight, I was able to stab the lizard in her side."

"Did you now?" Arden said, now being more interested. "And what was her fate?"

"Unknown, sir. I was knocked out before I could see more of the fight, but there was little to no blood on the site, so I believe that she will survive the wound. However…" the ninja brought out a kunai, most of the blade covered in almost dried blood. "I still have the blade that I stabbed her with, her blood is still on it."

"Ah, now that is reports that I want to receive. I can always use more of her DNA. Give it to me, and then leave. I have work to do."

"Hai, sir."

With the kunai now in his hand, Arden took a swab of it to analyse, wanting to be certain that the ninja was telling the truth. Granted, the DNA from any of the freaks would be useful in some way or another, but he wouldn't allow the ninja to lie to him.

But once the computer had analysed the DNA, Arden was surprised over what he found.

"What? This cannot be right." he said, double checking it against his records on Monalisa's DNA. "It is Monalisa's DNA, that much is certain, but it's still different. This sample has a six point four percent difference from her old DNA that I got, but that can't be correct.

Humans only have a less than two percent difference to their DNA from that of chimpanzees. If this is correct, then Monalisa isn't even the same species any longer, but why? Is she still mutating? Or has something else happened her?"

Taking yet another look at the two sets of Monalisa's DNA displayed by each other on the screen, it was clear that there was more to it than meets the eyes.

"I must investigate this further. Whatever has happened to her might be of use to us." he said, making preparations to analyse the new sample in greater detail.

 **That was a whole lot of things happening almost all at the same time, with not just one, but two factions having discovered the Zerg. Although, Arden doesn't know what he got yet, but knowing him, he will figure something out eventually.**

 **Monalisa actually snapped at little Pandora! That's not normal! Seems like her personality has started to change more than she might have thought. Might not be long before the rest notice that something is really wrong.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Questionable Morality**

The day passed, and soon it was time for the little ones to go to bed.

"There we go, Pandora." Raphael said. "All tucked in with your favourite bears by your side. You'll sleep nicely with them here."

"Yes, Daddy..." Pandora said half-heartedly as she placed her head on the pillow.

"Is something wrong?" Raphael asked, stroking her hair, but Pandora just turned away. "Something is wrong, isn't it, Pandora? What happened? You can tell me."

"Mommy yelled at me today…"

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, Daddy… I just wanted her to play with me when you got back, and she yelled at me…" Pandora explained with a few tears in her eyes. "She said that she was too tired… and that she had gotten hurt…"

"She did get hurt earlier, but she shouldn't yell at you because of that."

"Don't she love me any more?" Pandora asked, looking up at her father with big, sad eyes.

"Of course she loves you, little Geisha." Raphael reassured, stroking her cheek. "Your mother loves you more than anything in the whole world. But sometimes, when we adults get very tired, we don't always think about what we say, and some of us might even get what's called a short fuse."

"A short fuse? I think I've heard Uncle Mikey say that before."

"It means that you can easily get angry, often with very little reason or for small things. I can have a very short fuse when it comes to your uncle Mikey and his silly pranks."

"Then you chase Uncle Mikey." Pandora giggled. "That makes me and Kimmiko laugh."

"Yeah, you two find that funny, don't you?" Raphael chuckled. "Don't you worry about a thing, my little gem. I'll talk with your mother, see how she's doing and all. You just have sweet dreams, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy."

* * *

A little while later, once Pandora had fallen asleep, Raphael left her room to find his mate. He was very worried about her, as she had seemingly yelled at Pandora, something she had never done before. It really puzzled him, as he had seen them watch a movie and play together after they came back from patrol.

He soon found Monalisa sitting alone at the kitchen table, and she had a tired expression on her face.

"Hey, babe." Raphael said as he entered, making Monalisa look up.

"Hey, honey… Pandora sleeping now?"

"Yeah, she's sleeping soundly." Raphael said, sitting down next to Monalisa. "She told me that you yelled at her today."

"I did, and I feel horrible about it." Monalisa said, resting her forehead in her hands, the elbows on the table. "I was going to talk with you about it as soon as she was asleep."

"So it really happened. I was hoping that she was wrong. Care to explain what happened?"

"All she want was to play with me, but I was so tired… and I just lost my temper for some reason. I didn't even realise what I was doing until it was too late."

"Never thought you would loose your temper, and with Pandora too."

"Me neither. And that look she gave me, those fearful eyes… it hurt in my heart to see her look at me like that."

"I can understand that. But if it's any comfort, she's not angry or afraid of you, she's just worried for you."

"That's at least a little bit of relief. All I want is to protect her from anything that might hurt her."

"I know, babe, I know. And I know that you love her, I could see that when the two of you were socialising earlier today."

"It was the least I could do for her. She did want to play with me when I snapped at her, so it was only right that we played after the movie, once I had rested a bit, like she wanted."

"And I could tell that she enjoyed the time spent with you, even though you snapped at her. How about we head to bed early tonight? Just take some time to cuddle and relax together, and tomorrow everything will be fine again."

"I would like that. Just putting this day behind me. I'll just get something to drink, and then I will go to bed."

"I will be waiting for you there, babe." Raphael said, giving his mate a gentle kiss on her cheek.

* * *

Several hours later, once everyone was asleep, Monalisa once again got up, and left the lair, heading for her hive cluster, dressed in the dark clothes she used to wear many years ago. While the event with Pandora still lingered in her mind, she had to focus on the cause of it, the attack on her zergling.

She could easily have done everything from her bedroom, but she had another thing she needed to do at the hive cluster, so she tried to reach the zergling as she was walking. But once she connected to its mind, she found that it couldn't see, hear, smell or even feel. It was still part of the hivemind, but it seemed to lack a body of its own for some reason.

Being very concerned about this, Monalisa delved into the memories of the zergling, and got her answers. The cloth that the attackers had placed over its head was there the whole time, so visual input was at a minimum, as before, but Monalisa could hear the people talking about the zergling as it was strapped to a table, an all too familiar experience for Monalisa, and then there was the word 'dissection' lingering in its memory.

Then all of the pieces got connected. The humans had killed the zergling during the dissection of it, and since it had been ordered to play along until she told it otherwise, it let itself get killed by these people. There wasn't even any complaints or second guessing from its part, it simply did as it was told. Loyal to the end.

Or as much of an end as it was for the Zerg. Turns out that they actually had souls of a more durable nature than most other life, for as long as they were connected to the hivemind, and at least one Zerg was alive, then the others could live again, be reincarnated into new bodies morphed from larvas. And that wasn't the only thing that could be reincarnated, if a Zerg body had acquired a useful adaptation that for some reason wasn't passed on to the rest of that strain, the body could also be brought back, most likely to allow further testing of the new traits. And seeing how quickly the Zerg's cells healed, mutated and adapted, they were for all intents and purposes immune to ageing, which together with the other abilities, made the Zerg basically immortal and almost unkillable.

But, despite that new formation, Monalisa still had a possibly hostile group to deal with, so she had to make preparations. Before she even reached the cavern, she sent several commands to her swarm.

Two drones stopped their work and moved to new positions on the creep before morphing into large cocoons, signalling that more bio-structures were underway. Two larvas were ordered to replace the drones used for construction, and the remaining to morph into more overlords. Once the overlords were done, and more larvas had spawned from the hatchery, the five new larvas were ordered to morph into more zerglings, and then the next five again as soon as possible.

By the time she arrived, three new overlords floated near the ceiling of the cavern, twenty new zerglings awaited her command, and two completely new structures had emerged from their cocoons.

One had a large and almost insect-like skull in the centre, separated down the middle, with four 'eyes', two on each side. Large edges of flesh formed a wall around the base, with four giant horns rising from the backside. Two rows of smaller horns flanked what looked like a small stairway up to the base of the skull part. This was the Roach Warren, and it contained the DNA of another Zerg combat-strain, the Roach, but that was of little interest to Monalisa at the moment. She would create roaches later on, but not now.

The other structure looked like a giant maggot like structure, with a dozen tendrils at the tail end, digging into the creep, while the 'head' had a collection of large blister-like sacs. Giant rib-like parts were visible across most of the length of the structure, stretching the flesh, and there were many small bone-spikes grew here and there on it. That was an Evolution Chamber, a living laboratory where experiments on Zerg DNA and mutations was conducted.

If the swarm faced a problem, the evolution chamber could be tasked with developing suitable adaptations to overcome that problem, requiring only biomass, accelerant and time. It could also analyse and fine-tune new DNA to make new strains as efficient as possible, effectively making it Monalisa's very own doctor Arden.

With that structure ready, Monalisa instantly put it to work on a special project for herself, and after a few minutes, it was done, and the evolution chamber sent the new genetic information through its tendrils into the creep, and from there it reached the rest of the hive cluster. Walking over to the spawning pool, Monalisa braced herself for what was to come.

"It will be alright. I can do this." she said to herself. "I will do anything to protect my family, even this."

Reassured by her reasons for everything, she plunged her right hand into the bubbling, green ooze of the spawning pool, letting it seep into her pores. Almost instantly, she was overcome by a sharp pain in the very cells of her hand as the changes began, but at the same time, the new information was transmitted to her DNA, and that feeling was almost orgasmic.

Pulling out her hand after a few seconds, she looked upon it and saw the changes she had made. The skin of her palm had formed a cyst that pulsated for a few seconds before bursting. Now, located in the centre of her palm, was a tiny needle-like growth, made from hardened skin-cells that could be used to inject others with special parasites that would allow Monalisa to see and hear through them, just as she could with her Zerg.

But that was all it would do, she wouldn't be able to control them, or even communicate with them through the parasite, and it couldn't infect them as the one that had infected her. It was just for espionage, but she could create other parasites if she wanted to, or even viruses, thanks to a new, tiny gland hidden in her hand that produced them. And to make sure that no-one would notice the needle, or accidentally sting themselves on it, it would be retracted when not in use, hidden in her flesh.

With this new weapon, she cleaned her hand from any remaining ooze and began the walk back to the lair, for this was just the first step.

* * *

Returning to the lair, Monalisa quickly and silently made her way to Pandora's room, making sure that no one heard her as she opened the door.

Inside, the little mutant slept soundly in her bed, all snuggled up in her duvet and hugging her ninja bear tightly as she dreamt of who know what.

Standing by the bed, Monalisa looked at her daughter, thinking how peaceful she looked while she slept. Then she looked at her right hand, the needle protruding from her palm a few times as she checked a final time that it was functioning as intended. But as she brought her hand towards the little mutant, she hesitated, feeling conflicted.

'I can't do this. It's not right.' she thought to herself.

' _I have to do it. It's for her sake.'_ another part of her reasoned.

'I've already hurt her once today, I don't want to hurt her again.'

' _But with this I can always know where she is and how to find her. She will be safe.'_

'I will implant her with a Zerg parasite! It's not worth it! Nothing can be worth it!'

' _It will be worth it! No one will ever be able to take her from us!'_

'But what if something goes wrong? What if she turns into a monster?'

' _She won't. The parasite is not designed that way. Everything will be fine.'_

'No! I can't! I won't do this to her!'

' _I must do it! I will do anything to protect my family! Even this!'_

'But-'

' _There is no other option! I can't keep watch over her at all times, unless I do this.'_

'… I don't want to do this… but I have to…'

' _It's the only way.'_

'It's the only way… Forgive me, Pandora...'

Reaching and placing her hand behind Pandora's head, the tiny needle quickly extended from Monalisa's palm, piercing the skin of the tiny mutant and implanting the parasite. It was little more than a mosquito-bite, and Pandora reacted accordingly, shifting ever so slightly but quickly settled down again at the touch of her mother's hand.

"Sweet dreams, my little Geisha." Monalisa whispered, kissing her cheek and making her smile. "I will always be watching."

* * *

Once she had closed the door, Monalisa stood outside it and thought about what she had done, and how there was no way going back now.

"It's for her sake…" she repeated in a low voice, trying to bury the guilt she felt for what she did.

As she walked back to her and Raphael's room, she was so caught up in her thoughts that she walked past it. And when she realised it and turned back, she came face to face with Raphael, making her gasp in surprise.

"Mona? What are you doing up now?" Raphael asked.

"I, um… I just needed something to drink."

"Really? Fully dressed? And in those clothes to boot?" Raphael said with a raised brow. "You know, you've been acting strange for a few weeks now, but this is just too much to ignore. What is going on, Mona?"

Monalisa searched her mind for a good explanation, but there was none, she had been compromised. As she was finally about to say something, her eyes looked past Raphael and widened.

"Pandora?" she said.

Raphael quickly turned around, but saw no trace of their daughter. Instead he felt something at on the back of his neck, only for him to collapse and everything went completely black at an instant. Monalisa caught her now unconscious mate and gently dragged him inside their room again, placing him in bed.

'Sorry about this, love, but it's too early to tell you the truth.' she thought to herself. 'I'm really lucky that I convinced Leo to show me the pressure point technique that he used on me when we met the second time.'

Once Raphael was safely in bed, Monalisa undressed and put the clothes back where they were supposed to be, before snuggling up next to her mate in bed.

* * *

When he finally woke up a few hours later, he wasn't sure where he was, only remembering that he met Monalisa outside in the middle of the night, but now was in bed with her sleeping against his plastron.

But his movements stirred Monalisa from her sleep.

"Hmmm…? Is something wrong, hun?" she asked half asleep.

"Weren't we just outside the room? And you had those dark clothes on? And then it went black." he asked scratching his head.

"Sounds like you had a strange dream, honey." she said, snuggling up even closer as if to comfort him.

"A dream? But it felt so real."

"Sometimes, dreams can seem as real as life. Just go back to sleep, stay here with me, and everything will be fine."

"I suppose you're right, babe."

As Raphael laid his head back down, and fell asleep shortly after, Monalisa felt relieved that he had seemingly believed her.

'That was too close. I have to be more careful in the future.'

 **That was certainly too close for comfort, but Mona managed to avoid getting caught, at least for now, but who knows for how long that luck will hold.**

 **And things are getting more complicated by the chapter. Not only is Mona's brood growing and evolving, but she has gone so far as to augment herself. Not to mention what she did to Pandora, and she's clearly very, very torn about it.**

 **I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited over this. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Going to the Bottom**

A few days had passed since Monalisa had almost gotten discovered by her mate, but thanks to some quick thinking, and the usage of pressure points, Monalisa was able to avoid a disaster. As far as she could tell, Raphael seemed to believe that it was just a dream, and that was good enough for her.

And while she still felt a small amount of guilt for what she had done to Pandora, she was coming to terms with the decision, as it was necessary to ensure her safety, and the two parts of her consciousness had also stopped arguing over it.

* * *

Walking into the kitchen, she found Michelangelo and Pandora sitting at the table, both of them eating a bowl of ice cream.

"Figured I would find you two with something sweet in here." Monalisa said with a smile.

"Hi mommy!" Pandora cheered, waving at her mother.

"Hey, Sis. How's it going?" said Michelangelo.

"Just fine, thank you. I just wanted to tell you that we're heading out on another patrol soon."

"Again? Do we really need to?"

"Leo and Donnie think so, even if it was calm earlier tonight."

"Man, they just can't relax today. Well, I guess it can't be helped, just let us finish our dessert first."

"Sure thing."

"Great! 'Cause we've deserved it today! Right, Pandora?"

"Right! We ate all our veggies at dinner today!" the little mutant said proudly. "Do you want some ice cream, Mommy?"

"No thank you, little Geisha. I'm fine for today." Monalisa said with a smile.

"Yeah, your mother wouldn't want to get fat, now would she?" Michelangelo said without thinking.

Hearing that remark, Monalisa tensed up and glared at her adoptive little brother. Walking up behind him, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"A little tip, Mikey." she said calmly, just before she grabbed his bowl of ice cream and shoved it in his face, almost like a pie from old comedy shows and circus acts. "Never joke about a woman's weight."

Removing the bowl, Michelangelo had his entire face, save for the eyes, covered in ice cream, and he just sat there completely dumbfounded, eyes wide and not really sure what just happened.

Pandora was laughing so hard and heartily, that she was having slight trouble both breathing and sitting still, the look on her uncle's face was just too much for her. Monalisa couldn't hold back her own laughter either, and had to sit down while apologising.

"Sorry, Mikey! Hahahaha! But you asked for that one! Hahahahahaha!" she said between her laughs.

"It's okay, sis. I'm just glad I didn't take any sprinkles." he said with a smile. Wiping part of his cheek with one finger, he quickly licked it clean. "Mmm. I'm delicious!"

The girls just kept laughing for a few more minutes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Arden was working hard in his laboratory, having done so since he acquired the new blood-sample of Monalisa a few days earlier. The new mutations that she had somehow gained had caught his interest, and the more he analysed it, the more questions he found.

"You called for me, William?" a voice said behind Arden, its owner having just entered the laboratory.

"Indeed I did, master Arashi." the doctor answered, not even turning away from his many computer screens. "I have discovered something highly interesting… and possibly disturbing."

"Have you now? Explain yourself."

"A few days ago, one of our ninja brought me a new blood-sample of that whore, Monalisa, something that I always appreciate. But, when I analysed it, I discovered something... strange."

"Something strange? For you to use the word 'strange', it must be some very special."

"Indeed it was. I discovered that her DNA had mutated significantly compared to that of my older samples, so much in fact that she isn't even the same specie any longer."

"And what does that mean? She's still a freak, so what does it matter?"

"For one, I'm not sure what caused this mutation, but after working on it for the last few days, I have made a few discoveries about it. Her regenerative ability, which we desire, has been improved to such a degree, that now she rivals, or might even surpass, that of the dragon. I'm already working on making new serums with this superior healing ability."

"That does sound very pleasing, William. Monalisa is a far less dangerous foe than the dragon, and if her new healing ability is as good as it seems, then it will be a lot easier to gain a better advantage over the freaks."

"That it will, my lord, and I've also isolated the genes to other new abilities that she didn't possess before, seemingly related to her digestive system, muscles and brain, all from this new mutation. I still haven't been able to properly identify what these mean or do yet, but that is only a matter of time. However, there is one thing that bothers me."

"Bothers you? Explain yourself, William."

"Upon further examination, I found evidence that this mutation didn't originate within Monalisa herself, but rather was introduced or caused by something from the outside, and the way it is connected to her DNA is similar to how the animal DNA of the Venomous Five are connected to their human DNA, as if it had been spliced rather than having developed on its own."

"So someone, or something, caused this to happen to her?"

"Correct, master. But I do not know who or how, and can only speculate on why, based on what I would do myself. And once I discovered that, I tried to identify the DNA of the mutation, only to find that it doesn't even remotely match any known lifeform on Earth. Not even the Utrom DNA of our master Shredder."

"So it might be alien in nature as well? Have you reported this to master Shredder?"

"Not yet, but I will soon. I just require some more time to get something… substantial enough to report. But until then, I need some… volunteers for the initial testing of new serums."

"Don't worry, William. We got plenty of those." Arashi said with a wicked smile.

* * *

Later that night, the turtles and Monalisa were again out on patrol, this time to a large junkyard.

"So what are we doing here, Donnie?" Raphael asked annoyed as they crept around in the shadows of old car wrecks, refrigerators and all other kinds junk.

"I've been investigating and found that there have been many thefts from junkyards the last few months. I'm thinking it could be connected with the disappearance of garbage that I read about."

"Sounds plausible." said Monalisa. But she knew fully well that there wasn't any connection, as she hadn't been able to find a way for her Zerg to reach the junkyards, not yet anyway. "But is this really that important? I mean, you scavenge for spare parts and components for your inventions all the time."

"True, and it's not that I'm against such things, but these thefts have been about much larger amounts than just a few bits here and there. We're talking several metric tonnes just disappearing every other night, and security cameras being disabled if they're aimed into the area. Any cameras viewing the outsides only show that no one comes or goes during the times of the thefts."

"And no one have seen or heard anything? It's aliens, I tell you. It has to be." said Michelangelo.

"Leave the science fiction at home until we can make sure, Mikey." said Leonardo. "Even though aliens do exist, I think this is more of a 'domestic' issue."

"Whatever, I just hope that we can wrap this up quickly. I got a Skype date with Kate in an hour. Better send her a text and warn her, just to be on the safe side."

But as Michelangelo pulled out his shell-cell, he found that it was dead.

"What gives? I'm sure that I charged this."

"Maybe the batteries have gone bad. You can borrow mine instead." said Monalisa, but as she took out her shell-cell, she found that it too was dead. "What? This one too? I know that it was fully charged when we left."

"I got a bad feeling about this." said Donatello, checking both his shell-cell and those of Leonardo and Raphael, and sure enough, all of them were completely dead. "I got a really bad feeling about this."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, loose pieces of metal falling to the ground, and a large square piece, twenty five by twenty five feet, began rising up. Underneath the several feet thick square of the ground, came a cubic part of the sewers underneath, all of which were supported by metal pistons, and once the sewer had reached ground level, it kept rising, revealing an open metal elevator underneath it.

Standing in the elevator was four large robots or mech suits, each ten feet tall and with very large claw arms. Their visors scanning the surroundings as they stepped off the elevator platform, while the mutants kept a close eye from the shadows.

"I guess that answers the question of how the junk disappears." said Monalisa. "Those claws definitively looks like they could scrap old cars and the lot by the tonne."

"And I'm willing to bet that they used an electro magnetic pulse to knock out the cameras in the immediate area, and our shell-cells." said Donatello.

"So, what do we do about them?" asked Michelangelo.

Leonardo was about to answer, but as he leaned around the corner of the stacked car wrecks to get a better look, a piece of metal he held on to came loose, and fell to the ground with a thud and a clang, giving away their position. All four of the machines instantly turned around.

"Intruders!" one called out. "Quickly, neutralise them!"

"Et tu, Leo?" Michelangelo asked as the group was about to leave, but the machines was faster than they seemed, and equipped with countermeasures.

Several canisters were launched from the shoulders of the machines, streaks of smoke trailing them as they landed around the mutants, and more smoke erupted, covering a large area. The mutants coughed hard as the gas started to fill their lungs

"Gas! 'cough cough' We need to 'cough' get out of here! 'cough" Leonardo cried out, but neither he nor the others could see where they were going, and they shortly found that their bodies started to feel numbed.

A large clawed hand clamped down around Michelangelo, making him cry out in both shock and pain, as he was held in a grip too tight and strong for any of them to escape.

"Mikey! 'cough'" Monalisa cried out, only to get caught in the same way. In short order, all of the mutants were trapped in the clawed hands of the machines, with no way to escape.

With the gas finally dissipating, the machine holding Leonardo and Raphael brought them closer to the visor, taking a closer look at the two mutants, and at the same time, giving them a clearer view of that there was in fact a human pilot inside the machine.

"Hold on, these aren't human." the pilot said.

"Doesn't matter what they are." said another one, holding Donatello. "The boss's orders are clear. Any witnesses must be taken with us, and these creatures are no exception. I bet the boss will want to investigate them as well. Everyone, back into the elevator! And radio ahead so that they know we're coming back early!"

With the still slightly groggy mutants secured in the clawed hands, the four mechs rode the elevator back to wherever it came from, leaving no evidence topside of what had happened.

"Well, that went well." said Michelangelo. "Looks like we're going to the bottom of this, whether we want to or not."

* * *

The elevator slowly made its way down through the ground, leaving the part of the sewer where it belonged, as it continued far, far deeper through the rock and earth. The mutants didn't know how far down they were. A hundred feet? Two hundred? Five hundred maybe? However deep they had gone, it was clear someone had worked a long time on the elevator and the shaft that it travelled.

Eventually, they reached the bottom, a large excavated room where another large metal platform of some sort waited for them. The mechs got up on the platform, their grip on the mutants not loosening at all despite their efforts. Shortly after all four mechs were on the platform, the sounds of engines filled the cavern as it started to hover in place, revealing it to be an advanced barge, which was now on its way down a tunnel leading who knows where.

"You wouldn't happen to show a movie on this trip?" Michelangelo asked his captor, only to receive a squeeze from the claws holding him.

"Quit your yapping!" the pilot scolded the turtle.

* * *

Almost an hour had passed since they mutants had been captured, and finally, the trip had come to an end.

They found themselves inside a giant cavern, one that Monalisa recognised from the eyes of her Zerg, the one that they had tunnelled into, and where the people that had captured and dissected one zergling lived, it had to be those that had captured them as well.

They all also saw a large fortress base, the size of a baseball stadium, surrounded by walls constructed from metal and rock, with lots of lights illuminating the interior of it all. It was clear that that was where they were heading.

Once the barge came to a stop outside the walls, the mechs entered the base with their prisoners, taking them to the boss of the place. On the way there, the group saw lot of people in full suits and more mech suits all over the place, and many places seemed dedicated to processing various elements such as metal and rubber. Very little seemed to go to waste.

"Donnie? I'm getting a seriously bad vibe of deja-vu right now." Michelangelo said, looking around and feeling that a lot of the facility was very familiar.

"You and me both, Mikey."

"That's enough, from all of you!" one of the pilots snapped. "You're about to meet the boss, so shut up if you want to live during that!"

After a few more minutes, they found themselves inside what seemed to be a combination between a throneroom and a controlroom, with some form of throne up against the far wall, where numerous computer-screens and control-panels were mounted, and someone was sitting in the throne managing everything.

"Boss! We got those strange creatures we called about!" one of the pilots said, and the mechs shifted their arms until the mutants were facing the centre of the room, something that wasn't entirely comfortable for the five reptiles.

"Have you now? Well, let's have a look then." the figure said with a dark voice.

The throne turned around, and the turtles gasped when they saw who sat in it.

A sickly obese male human, if he could even be considered human, his right eye was red while the left was either covered or replaced by a mechanical monocle and a large scar ran across it, a bit of drool slowly dripped from his mouth. The throne was in fact a mecha-like wheelchair with six powerful mechanical legs that allowed him to move around, while two large mechanical arms reached over from the back. He wore a mining helmet and the same padded black suit as the others, only in a much larger size.

"This was a surprise." he said with a vicious smirk. "Long time, no see, freaks."

"Garbageman?!" the turtles exclaimed.

 **Well that escalated quickly. From some playful stuffing Mikey's face with ice cream, to Arden making progress on Mona's new DNA, and finally the team getting captured.**

 **And by none other than the Garbageman no less. Yep, I brought him back, but then again, he was never confirmed dead after his final appearance.**

 **Let's see how this all plays out, in the next chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Junktopia**

"That's Garbageman?! Didn't you say he was dead?!" Monalisa exclaimed, looking at the sickly obese man that was one of the turtles' old foes, one that was indeed thought to be dead.

"I told you he was back!" said Michelangelo.

"Last we saw you, your sub was sinking into that crevasse!" said Donatello. "You should have been crushed by the intense pressure down there!"

"Well as you can see, I'm clearly alive. No thanks to you two." Garbageman said, his eyes moving from Donatello to Michelangelo. "And you underestimated my mechanical genius, once I had stopped tumbling down, I could easily repair the damage enough to make the sub operable again. Enough to take me… here, where I had to rebuild my base from scratch, scavenging all that was left of my former base that you ruined. It's taken some time, but I'm finally back in business again. In this, my new base of Junktopia."

"And people say my naming skills needs work." Michelangelo muttered.

"Let me guess, you're stealing all you can get your fat hands on again?" Raphael said.

"I don't steal!" Garbageman snapped, walking over and grabbing on to Raphael's head. "I reuse what others throw away! Things that would otherwise go to waste!"

"And that includes kidnapping people?!" Leonardo snapped back. "You should have stayed dead!"

"Unfortunately for you four, and your new friend, it is you who soon will follow that advice. For I have learned from our past encounters, and if you get so much as the tiniest opportunity, you will escape and ruin everything for me again." Garbageman then turned to the pilots of the mechs. "We'll bring them with us to the lab. We'll secure them there so that I can dissect them all once I'm done with my current project."

"Not that again." Michelangelo complained, remembering how the Garbageman wanted to dissect him and Donatello the last time.

* * *

Garbageman's mechanical throne carried him through the base, followed closely by the mechs carrying the trapped mutants, and after a short while, they all arrived at a smaller dome-like structure. Being carried inside, the mutants were brought to a large chamber in the middle, containing several metallic tables.

The mechs cooperated in placing the mutants on the tables, one keeping a firm grip on a mutant as another positioned their arms and legs on certain areas of the tables, where powerful metal bands locked them in place automatically. The grip of the metal bands were strong and hugged the wrists and ankles so tightly that even the slightest movement was close to impossible and caused the mutants pain as the metal cut into their skin.

"Hey, hands off, bub! I'm gonna miss my date tonight because of you! Just you wait until I find a can-opener!" Michelangelo yelled at the mech pilots.

"Now I remember you, you're that one that can never shut up." Garbageman groaned.

"Trust me, we all know." said Raphael.

"Well, that won't be problem for very long. Once I'm done with you all, none of you will talk again."

"I wouldn't count on it." said Leonardo. "We've stopped you before, and we will stop you again."

"You really think so, freak? I've learned a thing or two since last time, and I've had time to prepare. And should you somehow escape, well, there are things worse than me down here. Allow me to show you."

Walking over to a computer, the Garbageman pressed a few buttons and the tables tilted slightly, enough for the mutants to see what laid on another table across the room, and they were shocked. Laying there was the corpse of the zergling that had been captured, its sides and stomach was cut open, and its blood covered most of the surface of the table.

"What the shell is that?!" Raphael exclaimed.

"It looks both reptilian and insectoid at the same time, and look at those claws! They're just like the one we found!" said Donatello.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Garbageman asked. "My men caught this critter in the deeper parts of this cave not long ago. Dug straight through the bedrock with those claws, and there are more of them. Now, I ask you, does this look like a predator to you?"

"Donnie?" Leonardo asked, feeling very uncomfortable with where the dialogue was going.

"Well… um… it certainly have the traits of a carnivore. And if it isn't the top of the food-chain of whatever ecosystem it's part of, whatever is must be far more dangerous than any known predator."

"I knew you were the smart one." Garbageman said with a smirk. "And since you don't know where these creatures live down here, if you somehow manage to escape, it's only a matter of time before you run into them. So I would think twice before trying anything if I were you. But now I must leave you, for I got other things that needs my attention."

As Garbageman tilted the tables back into their original position, he left the lab together with his men, but stopped in the doorway and turned to the mutants with a wicked smile.

"Next time we meet… hehe… will be the last."

* * *

"His stench certainly hasn't gotten any better after all this time." said Michelangelo as soon as the doors had closed.

"Any ideas on how we're getting out of this mess, Donnie?" Raphael asked, pulling on his restraints, but to no avail.

"Let me see… can't get out of these binds by pulling… everything seemed to be controlled from the computer terminal… but we can't reach it from here… and our hands are secured in such a position that we can't reach anything…"

"Well…? We're waiting."

"Um, I'm sorry, guys, but I don't see a way out of this."

"You can't be serious! There must be a way to escape!"

"Not that I can see, not without outside help."

"We'll be saved!" said Michelangelo. "Kate will notice that I'm not on Skype on time, and tell the others, then they will fly here and save us!"

"He's right, we're not without allies." said Leonardo.

"If it only was that simple." said Donatello. "First Kate will wonder why Mikey is late, after that she will try calling or texting you, and you can't answer her like this. Then she will probably call master Splinter, who will try the same thing, after which he will call back and ask for help. Only at that point will they travel to New York to search for us, but this deep down under the surface I don't think that they would be able to track our shell-cells, and even if they could, they would still need a way to get down here. At the very minimum, provided that they get lucky, it would take them at least two and a half hour, and I don't think we got that much time."

"So we're as good as dead? It can't end like this! Who's gonna spoil our little Geisha?!" said Michelangelo.

"We're still alive, Mikey. And there must be some way to escape, we just don't see it yet." said Leonardo. "Mona, your tail isn't restrained, is it?"

"No, but I don't know what I could do with it."

"Neither do I, but at least it's an option. Come on, guys, think."

"Not my best skill, but I'll try." said Michelangelo.

* * *

As the turtles were busy thinking out a plan of escape, Monalisa focused on other things, namely her swarm. As soon as they had been captured, she sent commands to her hive cluster in preparation for a potential rescue, she just didn't think it would be needed so badly. Despite that, she wanted to hold off on using the Zerg until the last possible moment, not wanting to reveal her connection to them yet, while thinking of a way to explain their existence if needed.

She also tried to figure out how to free herself and the turtles, but she wasn't having any luck. The bindings were indeed impossible to open with out the computer and too strong to tear off. Granted, with her new Zerg adaptability, she could become strong enough to break free if she kept pulling on the bonds, but she would also be injured by it, and her body would then regenerate and adapt to be more durable in those areas first, and that would just take too long time.

Another option was to pull so hard that she would tear off her hands and feet, freeing herself that way. After that, she would either have to reattach her severed parts or let new grow out. The former would be the quicker way, but both would be painful, messy and far from discrete, and most definitely nothing she would be able to explain.

With no other options, she had to call for her swarm to war against the Garbageman and his cohorts, but she also needed some other way to protect herself and the turtles in case of an emergency, and luckily, she had it right there in the lab with them.

The zergling might have been dead, and its soul separated from the body, but all hope wasn't lost. Even as the corpse was slowly decaying, the majority of the cells still contained undamaged DNA, and with a more powerful thought pulse from Monalisa, that DNA sparked to life again, infecting and repairing, consuming and replacing that which was dead with new living matter. For death was irrelevant, only essence mattered to the Zerg. It would take a little while but the zergling would live again, and then it could help them, she just hoped it would be before it was too late.

* * *

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm only drawing blanks!" Michelangelo half whimpered.

"There's gotta be a way out of here, but no matter how hard I pull, I can't get free!" said Raphael, and looking at his wrists, he saw that they had been rather injured from his attempts.

"Stainless steel, or an even stronger alloy. Doubtful if even Tyroth could break free with strength alone." said Donatello, his mind still looking for other options.

The doors to the lab opened, and Garbageman walked back in, followed by six men, two of which wearing white robes and surgical masks, and the other four were dressed in the usual attire, wielding two-pronged spears and one pushing a small cart with various medical tools, crude and viscous looking.

"Time's up, freaks." Garbageman said with a smirk.

"Already? It's only been like fifteen minutes." said Michelangelo. "You wouldn't consider giving us another fifteen minutes, or better yet, a week?"

"Don't count on it, loud mouth. But don't worry, this won't take long." said the Garbageman, looking at Michelangelo and picking up a small motorised medical saw. "But it might get... messy. And we're starting with you."

"Don't you dare touch him!" Leonardo yelled.

"Or what? You're all at my mercy, or rather, the lack thereof."

The two white-dressed men picked up various tools, and the saw that the Garbageman held, and stood on either side of Michelangelo's table, one of them starting up the saw. The high pitched, whirring noise filled the lab, and the blade was brought down towards the turtle's plastron.

"Boss! We got a problem!" another guard shouted as he burst into the lab. Garbageman signalled for the others to stop, to which Michelangelo sighed heavily in relief as the tool was turned off and pulled back.

"Problem? What kind of problem?"

"More of those strange beasts just poured out from the tunnel they dug, and have gathered less than a hundred feet away! And there are a lot of them! Fifty at least! They seem really agitated, boss!"

"Curses! Show me where they are!"

"This way, boss!"

"Alright, you two, keep working on these creatures! I want the one in orange at least partially dissected, and silenced, by the time I get back." Garbageman said to his surgeons, then he turned to one of the four guards. "You stay here! The rest of you follow me!"

"Well, no more time for you then." the surgeon with the saw said shortly after the doors closed, starting it again to resume the work.

A shrill roar echoed in the lab, causing the surgeons and guard to quickly turn around, and to their horror, discover that the zergling was alive again. Having risen to its feet, the wounds now healed, it glared at the humans and mutants, roaring again before leaping off the table and swiftly rushing at them.

The guard tried to intercept the zergling, jabbing his spear against it, but the zergling easily sidestepped the attack, and with a single slice from its shoulder claws, cut the weapon in two without any difficulties. The claws then dug into the chest of the guard as the zergling pounced on him, pushing him onto his back as more claws and teeth started tearing him apart.

The both surgeons screamed and ran for the doors, but the zergling was fast enough to reach them before them and prevent their escape. With blood still dripping from its claws, tusks and teeth, it stared down the two men as they tried to back away.

"Stay back!" one of the surgeons yelled, but the zergling only shrilled and roared in return before leaping onto him, the sickle-like claws easily decapitating him with a single swipe.

The last survivor tried to once again make a break for it, but the results didn't changed, and the zergling pounced him and drove its back claws into the back and out through the chest, killing the man instantly. With all the humans dead, the zergling began eating from its latest kill, using the biomass to further repair its old injuries and recover.

That left only it and the five mutants, who hadn't been able to see everything, but there was no mistaking what had happened, and they all feared for their lives as they were still restrained. But Monalisa wasn't afraid, even if she pretended to be, for she knew that the zergling wouldn't harm a hair on anyone if she didn't allow it.

The rest of the turtles, however, had no idea, which caused Donatello to yelp quite loudly when the zergling jumped up on his table, looking into his eyes and brandishing its bloody claws as if it readied itself to strike again. And when the claws fell, Donatello expected the worst, only to hear metal getting sliced apart, and looking down, he saw that the metal bands around his wrists had been severed, and the zergling quickly moved to repeat the process with those around his ankles as well.

"What the shell?" Donatello said in confusion.

"Donnie! Are you okay?!" Leonardo asked frantically.

"I think so… this thing just freed me. Cut off the bands."

"Then might I suggest that you get the rest of us out of our bonds as well!?" said Raphael. But before Donatello could do anything, the zergling jumped up on Raphael's table and cut off the metal bands just as before, and continued with the others' as well. "Actually, never mind."

"I've heard about unlikely allies, but this takes the cake." said Leonardo, rubbing his aching wrists.

"I'll say." said Michelangelo. "But doesn't the saying go not to look a gift horse… er bug… in the mouth, or something?"

"Whatever the case, we're free, and I suggest that we do something about Garbageman." said Monalisa, giving the zergling a mental thank you while she was at it. "And if we have to kill him, then let's make sure that he's really dead."

"Agreed. He is far too dangerous to just leave down here to his own devices." said Leonardo. "Donnie, get us out of here before he returns!"

"On it, Leo!"

 **From imprisoned to free in one and the same chapter, not bad for our mutant heroes. But now they know of the Zerg, if only a little, but more is going to be revealed soon.**

 **And Garbageman clearly hasn't forgotten his previous encounters with the turtles. Too bad for him that he has never fought the Zerg, 'cause he has quite the fight ahead if he intends to defend Junktopia.**

 **Also, as you might imagine, references to Garbageman's previous appearances in the chapter.**

 **Also also, Monalisa belongs to my good friend and fellow writer, Bloodrayne666. Find her and her stories in my favorites tabs. Our stories are so interconnected that they're basically a single series. Check her out, she's really good.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **The Siege of Junktopia**

Meanwhile, Garbageman gathered with his followers on the wall facing the direction of the tunnel that the Zerg had dug, and looking out into the dark area of the cavern, he could spot movements in the shadows.

"They're out there, boss!" the guard that had fetched him said. "We spotted them through the night vision scopes!"

"Hmm. Let's see what they're up to." Garbageman said, using his hand to adjust the mechanical monocle over his left eye, activating his own night vision, and as he did, he could see through the darkness. He could see the fifty plus zerglings that had gathered a few hundred feet from Junktopia.

They were agitated, fidgeting and pacing in place, shrilling and trilling, but their eyes never left their target for long. They were all ready to attack at a moment's notice, and those watching them could tell, it was just a question of when, and Garbageman wasn't going to wait to find out the answer.

"Hmph! If these things want a fight, we'll give them one." he said to himself, then he turned to his men, issuing commands with a powerful voice. "Alright, I want every sniper we got on the wall! If the beasts get close enough, I want every one of you to shot them with whatever you got! Those things are not getting inside my city! Bring up all the mech-suits that are available behind the gate! And get me the incendiary rockets!"

* * *

Within minutes, weapons were brought to bear, every gun, rifle, crossbow, spear and explosive that Junktopia held was amassed to defend the wall. The autopsy of the first zergling had revealed that it was both surprisingly durable and very dangerous, so Garbageman didn't want to take any risks.

"Got a clear shot!" one of the snipers called out as soon as he was in position, and shortly after, the rest said the same.

"Then fire!"

Shots were fired, echoing throughout the cavern, and they struck their targets. But none of the zerglings fell. They still stood, despite some of them taking the bullets in their heads, and while the projectiles had penetrated most of their carapace and leather-like skin, the zerglings were still too durable to fall so easily to so primitive weapons.

And that was all the incentive the zerglings needed, and instantly rushed into battle, traversing the uneven floor of the cavern with ease and seemingly familiarity, as if they already knew it.

"Fire at will!" Garbageman yelled, and his troops did just that.

More rounds from the snipers struck the zerglings, and as they got closer, more weapon fire joined in, and despite the zerglings' durability, they were starting to get slightly worn. But they had a special strategy in place. As those in front got injured, they slowed down slightly and let those behind them, who were in better shape, take their place.

But Garbageman noticed this, and had his own counter move to it.

"Incendiary rockets, fire!" he shouted.

Five rockets were launched from the troops on the wall, leaving trails of smoke behind them as they raced towards their targets. Explosions of fire engulfed a large area around the impact zone, and when the fire had died down and the smoke had cleared, there was nothing left, not even a single carcass. Garbageman's troops thought the battle over, and cheered loudly in celebration, but Garbageman himself wasn't as convinced.

"This doesn't make sense." he thought to himself. "The one we dissected was very tough, but these burned like as if they were flammable. Something is wrong here, but what?"

* * *

The answer would reveal itself shortly, as a zergling erupted from the scorched ground, and then another one, and two more, then a dozen and more thereafter. In just a few seconds, all the zerglings had resurfaced from their hiding-place, all untouched by the intense heat of the rockets. All the ground-strains of the Zerg were able to vibrate tiny muscles in their body at such speed and frequency, that they could easily and extremely quickly straight out dive into even solid rock, submerging themselves a feet below the surface, where most weapons can't touch them or they can wait in ambush for their prey.

"They're still alive! Fire! Fire, I say!" Garbageman roared, trying to get his men back in order, but by the time they had regrouped, the zerglings were already at the thick walls, their sickle-like claws tearing into the metal and rock that made them up, leaving deep gashes and holes, effectively shredding it.

The soldiers tried to fight back, shooting down from the wall, but any time a zergling got too injured, it would retreat into the ground, not to be seen for several seconds, and when they resurfaced their wounds seemed to have healed somewhat. As the battle continued, the wall was severely damaged in several places, but the zerglings were also quite worn down, retreating into the ground increasingly often and for longer periods.

But they weren't the only strain called to battle.

* * *

Behind the walls, another Zerg creature erupted from the ground, this one being far larger than a zergling. Reaching over five feet in height, and almost as much in width, most of its body was covered by a thick, dome shaped carapace shell, which had many bone-spikes all over it, and just barely poking out from underneath it was a broad head with three eyes and a large mouth. Six stubby insect legs with a single large toe-claw lifted its massive body, but no more than a foot above ground at most, while two large claws extended from beside the head, each broad claw loosely resembling a scythe.

This was the Roach, and unlike most other ground-strains, this could not just burrow into the ground, but it could also move, tunnel through it, and emerge in a new place, almost completely undetected. The beetle-like creature growled and gurgled in a deep voice, the massive scythe claws cutting into the supports of the walls, making sure that it was discovered.

"Boss! Got another one here! On the inside!" one of the guards yelled when he found the new creature that had breached their perimeter.

"What?! Kill the bloody thing now!"

"On it, boss!" another guard shouted in response, as he and two others rushed up to the roach with their two-pronged spears ready. Jabbing them into the back of the roach's shell, electricity crackled from the tips on each impact, but the roach simply growled and dived back into the ground, and before the guards could properly react, it had tunnelled a few meters behind them, and surfaced again.

Opening its large mouth, there was a brief gurgle before it spewed a large amount of a green liquid at one of the men, striking him across his back. The man screamed in pain, but his screams silenced quickly for his head, arms, waist and downward were all that remained, his torso having been completely dissolved in seconds by the powerful acid-spit of the roach.

The two remaining guards looked in horror at what remained of their comrade, never having a chance to fight back before they too fell to the roach, one after the other from the dozen of gallons of acid in each attack. Once they were dead, the roach resumed its attack on the wall, this time with the acid, which ate its way through the metal and rock almost as easily as flesh and bone.

Four more roaches erupted from the ground, two inside the walls together with the first one, and two on the outside together with the zerglings. Fifty zerglings and five roaches were more than the wall could withstand, and soon acid and claws had left a huge gaping hole, through which the zerglings could pour in, swarming Junktopia.

Garbageman was the first to retreat from the battle, as his men were being slaughtered in short order, despite them fighting back as best they could. But their weapons were not powerful enough to keep up with the Zerg, with their ability to heal and burrow, not even the mechs stood much of a chance as the zerglings were on them like piranhas on a piece of meat and the acid dissolved the machine and the pilots within.

* * *

"Man, this is worse than all the Alien movies and Starship Troopers combined!" Michelangelo said as he, the others and the zergling watched from afar, behind a corner, having just exited the lab where they had been held captive. So far, the zergling had seemingly guided them, but it was to where the fighting was going on.

"Yeah, this is certainly not something you see every day." said Donatello.

"Well I for one don't want to see more of this, so let's get out of here!" said Raphael.

"But what about Garbageman?" Monalisa asked, scanning the battlefield in front of them. "I can't see him anywhere, dead or alive. Shouldn't we make sure that he's dealt with?"

"It's too dangerous to try and find him in that war zone, Mona." said Leonardo. "And it's not impossible that he might have fallen already, though I will admit that I'm sceptical to that. Let's just focus on getting out of here alive for now, and we'll worry about him later."

"I'm with Fearless on this, let's hit the road." said Raphael.

"Yeah, and maybe I'll still be able to catch up with Kate on Skype. She's never gonna believe this." said Michelangelo, and hurried in the opposite direction.

But he didn't get very far until he came face to face with another of the mechs. After a brief moment of shock, the mech lashed out with its powerful arm at Michelangelo.

"Mikey, look out!" Monalisa yelled and threw herself at her adoptive brother, pushing him out of the way of the attack, but instead she got her left arm caught in the claw hand.

With a powerful yank, the mech pulled Monalisa off of her feet and held her in the air, the grip of the claw-hand instantly tightening and breaking the bones in her arm, making her cry out in pain and tears to stream down from her eyes.

"Mona!" Raphael cried out, but as he and the other turtles tried to save her, they were instead easily swept aside by the mech's other arm.

The zergling however, was quick enough to avoid the attack by jumping back, and could then defend its queen, as it had been ordered. However, the order that Monalisa had instinctively given when she was caught and injured was 'free me', and it was extremely urgent, so the zergling reacted accordingly.

With its powerful hind-legs, the zergling leapt and slashed with its sickle-like claws at the hand, leaving a deep gash in the metal, slicing apart the components inside, but it also cut off Monalisa's arm just above her elbow, leaving her with only a quarter of her arm as she fell to the ground, blood pouring out of the wound.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she felt how her life seemed to start fading away with her loss of blood, and she saw how the zergling attacked again, only for the mech to catch it with its other hand and toss it to the ground, quickly stomping on it several times before kicking it across the ground. With the zergling having many broken bones, the rest of her swarm being too far away, and the turtles still not on their feet, Monalisa knew that her life was in grave danger.

But she didn't know what to do, she had no way of surviving this encounter.

When placed in such a situation, the Zerg have only one way to survive, and that is to evolve.

And that was just what Monalisa did.

 **Junktopia has felt the wrath of the Swarm, and only a small portion of it at that.**

 **But the turtles and Mona got themselves in some trouble, Mona especially. Though things are just about to escalate even further.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Evolution**

Monalisa's entire body pulsated with pain as she was laying on the ground of Junktopia, three quarters of her left arm having been both broken and sliced off. Her zergling was also severely injured, while her adoptive had just been swept aside by the mech that loomed over her. Time had almost slowed to a halt from her perspective, but that didn't help if there was nothing she could do to save herself and her family.

But she wasn't going to die there, she refused to. Her family was in danger, and she had to do something. Faced with a situation where the only way to survive was to evolve, the Zerg DNA in her body surged through every cell, mutating her even further and augmenting her with abilities, the likes of which she had never experienced before.

Setting her eyes on the mech, they glowed orange as she unleashed a psionic projectile against it. The air vibrated and rippled faintly by the force as the Kinetic Blast sped towards the machine as a bullet, hitting the cockpit like a wrecking ball and crumpling the metal like it was an old soda can, and forcing it several feet backwards before it fell over.

"Whoa! What the shell just happened?!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "The bot just got thrashed!"

"Mona! We must help her!" Raphael cried out, getting back onto his feet to hurry over to his injured mate, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw her get back up again, her eyes still glowing orange. "Mona?"

But Monalisa didn't seem to react to her lover or the others, she had other things that needed her attention. The stump that remained of her left arm had stopped bleeding, thanks to her improved healing rate, but she was still crippled, as was her zergling, but she could fix that now.

Releasing another wave of psionic energy, this leaving a trail of orange light as it shot out from her as a nova, both she and the zergling were washed over by it, and their wounds healed. Every broken bone in the zerglings body, every torn muscle, every ruptured organ, all were almost instantly healed as the already naturally high healing rate was boosted way past overdrive, the cells having been stimulated by the energy of the ability called Mend.

And Monalisa was also affected in the same way, a new arm sprouting from the wound and growing to full size in less than two seconds.

With the immediate threat disabled, the intense glow in Monalisa's eyes faded, but they still remained orange as she looked upon the wreckage of the mech. Despite the damage, the pilot was still alive inside, but he was also critically injured, with his spine being broken, arms, legs and multiple organs crushed, and every bone shattered. He was barely conscious, and would die within the hour, even if he were to get medical attention, but Monalisa wouldn't allow him to pass away slowly.

"Kill him." she said coldly to the zergling, which shrilled enthusiastically before pouncing on the trapped man. While he was far too injured and weak to even be able to scream or protest, he wasn't any less terrified as the zergling appeared in front of him. A single claw easily broke through the remains of the machine, and the head of the man, killing him instantly as it pierced through the brain.

Now that the mech pilot was dead, and the machine inoperable, Monalisa refocused on the whole of her Swarm, and their progress in the battle against Garbageman's forces. The humans had been almost decimated, with only a handful still alive, hiding in the city of Junktopia, but they wouldn't escape her wrath. They had threatened her family, and they would all pay with their lives, their blood, and their essence for that.

"Hunt them all down. Leave none alive." she said out aloud as she sent the same order to her Swarm, all while her adoptive brothers stared at her in disbelief.

"Mona… what the shell has happened to you?" Raphael asked.

Turning around, Monalisa looked at them with her now orange eyes.

"I will explain later." she said. "Right now, Garbageman must die." then she turned to walk away together with her zergling.

"Mona, wait!" Leonardo began, but Monalisa gave him a look so stern that it made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Not now, Leonardo." she said coldly, and kept walking.

"What's going on?! What's happened to her?!" Raphael said as he saw his mate walk away.

"Yeah, what's wrong with our sister?!" said Michelangelo.

* * *

Walking through the now mostly ruined city of Junktopia, Monalisa searched the area for any sign of Garbageman. Having gone through the memories of her Zerg, she had seen him when the fighting began, only for him to move out of sight after the walls had been breached, and there had been no trace of him since then. At least no visible traces, his lack of personal hygiene left a rather pungent smell, and the zerglings could easily pick it up and follow it to the source, even though it was present in the entire city.

It didn't take long before the zerglings had zeroed in on where Garbageman was hiding, a tall and square warehouse or garage in the northern part of Junktopia. All of the zerglings surrounded the building, waiting for not only the roaches to arrive, but their queen as well, and a few minutes later, they all stood outside large doors of the building.

"It's over, Garbageman!" Monalisa said in a loud voice as she walked closer. "We know that you're in there, so come out and meet your end now!"

There was no response, but there were no trails of his scent leading away from the building, so he had to either be inside, or there was an escape tunnel hidden within. Determined to find out, Monalisa threw a Kinetic Blast at the large doors of the building, blasting them off the hinges with ease.

But no sooner had she done so, than there was a clang and the doors came flying back out, forcing her to blast them again, sending them to the sides. Stepping out of the building was a giant version of Garbageman's six legged vehicle, thirty feet across and twenty feet tall, equipped with four large mechanical arms that together covered every angle of the machine with their long reach, and every arm had a chain-gun mounted to them. The middle of the machine was a large metal dome with a single red optic, the dome being able to rotate and tilt to adjust the angle.

The red optic focused on Monalisa, and Garbageman's voice was heard through the machine's loudspeakers.

"I have had it with you freaks!" he yelled. "This is the third time you ruin everything that I've worked so hard to achieve! But never again! I will personally crush each and everyone of you, and I'm starting with you, freak-girl!"

* * *

The arm closest to Monalisa came crashing down at her, just barely missing her as she jumped back to avoid it. Instantly, the zerglings charged to attack, their razor sharp claws cutting into the thick metal, but the arms spun and flailed around, swatting away the zerglings like flies, and effectively managing to keep them at bay, even killing a few of them.

Then the guns came to life, whirring up and spraying bullets everywhere, allowing Garbageman to kill several more zerglings.

Monalisa once again had to dodge to avoid the rain of bullets, but four still managed to hit her, two in her stomach, one in her chest and one in her right kneecap, shattering it. The wounds weren't directly fatal, but they would be without medical attention, if it had been virtually any other humanoid, but the regenerative ability of Monalisa's Zerg DNA allowed her to survive the wounds on her own. However, the shattered kneecap was still as crippling for her as for anyone else, something that she became well aware of when she fell to the ground, and one of the large robotic arms came down against her.

The arm impacted the ground with a loud thud, leaving cracks in the cave-floor, but as it was lifted back up to continue attacking the zerglings, Monalisa was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Another of her new abilities was to Burrow, just like any ground strain of the Zerg, which she had just done on reflex, and as such, she was safe underground while her wounds continued to heal. It also gave her enough peace and quiet to be able to take the time to analyse her opponent, and an idea on how to beat him.

The roaches, which had been kept back so far, was given a new order. They too burrowed into the ground, and moved through it, advancing on Garbageman's position. While the zerglings kept attacking, and did a decent amount of damage despite taking losses, the roaches emerged underneath the giant machine, where they were safe from the weapons.

Sprays of acid were spewed upon the inside of the legs and the undefended underside of the machine, eating through the thick metal. When Garbageman discovered that, he tried crush the attackers below by instantly slamming the bottom of the machine onto the floor, but the roaches were too quick, and managed to burrow to safety, and resumed their attacks when it stood up again.

Trying to manoeuvrer the machine so that he could attack the roaches with his other weapons, Garbageman became increasingly frustrated with how they managed to keep pace with him. But the worst was yet to come, as Monalisa, now able to stand on her injured leg again, resurfaced and released another nova of healing energies, showering her forces with it and completely restoring them to perfect health. Even many of the dead zerglings were revived, if they were in good enough shape, though some of their wounds still remained, but those healed at an increased rate as well in the seconds to come.

With the acid damage on the legs and underside starting to pile up, Monalisa joined the assault, throwing several Kinetic Blasts at the machine. One struck a leg, almost taking it clean off at the joint, but the damage was still enough to make it inoperable. Two more struck the arms, one blasting the chain-gun clean off and the other crushing it, all while the arms were pushed back enough for the zerglings to be able to get within their reach, rapidly tearing into the bases of the arms.

Still trying to move into a better position, Garbageman was caught off guard when two of the machine's legs buckled under it, the acid having eaten through them enough for them not to be able to hold up the weight of the machine any more. Garbageman started to sweat as his vehicle was starting to break down, watching as the zerglings had finally managed to destroy one of the arms, robbing him of yet another weapon.

Deciding to cut his losses, he activated the auto-pilot and prepared to make his escape. Another leg fell to the onslaught of acid, and the majority of the internal components on the underside were long gone, but the machine continued to fight the loosing battle against the Zerg, only to have the last arm blown off from another Kinetic Blast from Monalisa.

A large hatch opened on the backside of the dome, and Garbageman escaped the soon to be wreckage in his smaller six-legged vehicle, hoping to be able to hide until everything had calmed down, and then rebuild his forces again. But he never got that far.

The zerglings could easily have caught up with him, despite his vehicle he was too big and slow to outrun them, but they didn't have to chase him, for Monalisa threw one more Kinetic Blast at her foe. The psionic attack burst straight through two legs while bending the last completely out of shape, putting an abrupt stop to Garbageman's escape.

With no escape, Garbageman intended to go down fighting, but the zerglings quickly shredded the rest of his two vehicles, the roaches still aiding with the larger one, leaving Garbageman utterly defenceless.

"Damn you freak bitch! How can you control those beast?! What the hell are you?!" Garbageman said as Monalisa walked towards him with determined steps, her orange eyes never leaving him.

"I'm the Lizard Lady of the Swarm." she said coldly, her voice having an underlying tone of hatred. "And you tried to dissect my baby brother. All of my brothers and my mate. You will pay dearly for that."

"So you're gonna kill me then? Fine! Do your worst! I ain't afraid of you!" Garbageman said defiantly.

"Trust me, I will do my worst. And you **will** be afraid before you finally die." she said, walking up to Garbageman with the palm of her right hand opened.

With quick movements, she jabbed the tiny needle in the palm into Garbageman's arm, then she quickly backed away from his reach.

"What? That's it? You think that's gonna kill me? A tiny, little sting like that?"

"That was only the delivery." Monalisa clarified, still with a cold and almost emotionless voice. "Right now, there are dozens of tiny parasites travelling through your bloodstream. Once they reach your vital organs, your heart and brain, they will undergo a metamorphosis, using what biomass they consumed on their way there, a metamorphosis based on a creature called the Baneling. After that, all they require is a single thought from me, after which their bodies will burst and release vast amounts of highly corrosive acid that will eat away at your organs until you die. It will be most painful."

Looking at Monalisa, there wasn't a single twitch of a muscle or anything, she was simply stating facts. Facts that had truly planted the seed of fear in Garbageman. Then it began, a dull pain that travelled up through the arm that Monalisa had stabbed, going up into his shoulder before splitting into two, one that travelled to his head and the other to his heart, there the pain worsened for a short while, then it faded.

Fear filled his eyes as he looked at Monalisa again, but she showed next to no emotions, only disgust and hatred for her foe shone through her orange eyes.

"Please, you can't do this to me!"

"I already did." she replied. "Now, die."

It began ever so slightly, a faint burning and tingling sensation akin to that of nettle rash, but in no time at all it transgressed into intense pain, as the acid had started to consume Garbageman from the inside. He began screaming, louder and louder by each passing second, frantically clawing at his chest and head in a panicked effort to scratch it all away.

Then he stopped. His arms fell and his mouth was left ajar as his brain no longer could support any higher functions, and as his heart could no longer pump the blood through his veins, no oxygen could be delivered to what little yet remained of his brain. But as the acid continued to consume his organs, there was soon nothing left of either, and parts of his head and face started to collapse inward, as even the cranium had been mostly dissolved by the acid. Before long, it might even eat its way through parts of the head and spill out on the rest of the now dead body, before the acid finally runs out.

* * *

With Garbageman dead, Monalisa could finally focus on the more important task at hand, explaining everything to her adoptive family.

"Scour the cave. Kill every human you find down here." she commanded her Zerg, wanting to be certain that no threats remained.

"Mona! Mona, are you alright!?" she heard her mate call out, and soon he and his brothers reached her, but stopped the moment they saw the corpse of Garbageman.

"Holy shell… what happened to him?" said Michelangelo.

"Mona… what… what did you do?" Leonardo asked.

"I made sure that he won't bother us again. Ever." she replied.

"Mona… babe… what's happened to you?" Raphael asked, though he was afraid of the answer.

"I suppose I do owe you all an explanation, and you will get one. But not here, and not now. Follow me, I know a safe place.

As Monalisa started walking towards the tunnel that her Zerg had dug, the turtles had little choice but to follow here. Though it was against better judgement, it was for their sister, and they had to know what had happened to her.

 **Well, Junktopia is fucked, my bad.**

 **And that's the end for Garbageman, as they say, third time is a charm.**

 **Mona will certainly have a lot to explain to her family, but how will they take that she is the queen of the Zerg now?**

 **Minor note here: Mona acquired the new parasites after she ordered a new structure to be created, the Baneling Nest. More on that next time, possibly.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **Revelations**

Monalisa led her adoptive brothers down the tunnel that her Zerg had dug out, leading them away from what remained of Junktopia while her combat strains did a final sweep for survivors. Following closely behind them were five zerglings, guarding their rear, and one of them carrying Monalisa's severed, old arm in its mouth.

It was a walk in silence, and whenever anyone of the turtles tried to ask Monalisa anything, she simply replied 'not now'.

After what felt agonisingly long, they finally reached Monalisa's hive cluster, the very heart of the swarm, and they were equally shocked and disgusted by what they saw, and they hesitated as Monalisa kept walking after reaching the edge of the creep that grew on the ground, and with all right.

"It's perfectly safe here." Monalisa said without turning around. "Just keep following me, and I'll explain everything shortly."

They didn't know what to think, they trusted their sister, but this all felt far too strange to be comfortable for them. But they had little other choice than to trust her on this too.

"Eww!" Michelangelo exclaimed as soon as his foot touched the creep, shiver running through his entire body. "It feels like a giant jellyfish! A **cold** giant jellyfish!"

"Get a move on, Mikey!" Raphael said, giving his youngest brother a light push from behind. "The sooner we're done with this, the better."

* * *

After a very short walk, the group now stood in the middle of the hive cluster, next to the giant hatchery and all the drones that worked near it. The turtles anxiously looked at everything around them, all the bio-structures, the strange creatures that had begun returning from the battle field, and of course, their sister, whose eyes were still orange rather than blue.

"Okay, Mona… what's going on?" Leonardo asked. "What has happened to you? And what are these… things?"

"A new power has awoken within me." she said factually with a hint of pride. "And with that power, I created these creatures, the Zerg. My Zerg."

"The… Zerg? That's what these things are called? Zerg? And you created them? How?" Raphael asked, looking around nervously.

"The first one, I created within my own body, a tiny larva that grew inside of me. After regurgitating it, it eventually transformed into this hatchery, from which more larvas spawn." Monalisa said, gesturing at the hatchery, though the turtles look far more disgusted than impressed.

"After that," she continued. "I had them collect all kinds of garbage from around the city, which should account for most of the mysterious events these last few weeks. Everything was progressing well, but it wasn't yet time to tell you all about this."

"How could you have kept something like this a secret from us, Mona?" said Donatello. "This is extremely serious! We don't even know what these 'Zergs' are!"

"You don't, but I do, and they are completely under my control."

"Under control?! One of them cut off your arm!" Raphael exclaimed.

"That was my own mistake." Monalisa explained. "In a panic, I ordered it to free me, which it did in the easiest way possible. But that mishap came with a blessing of its own, since it placed me in a position where I had to evolve to survive, which awoke even greater powers in me."

"We saw those, and it almost scared the shell off me!" said Michelangelo.

"I did not mean to alarm any of you, but something like this required a lot of thought on how to explain it all."

"And what about Garbageman? What did you do to him?" said Leonardo.

"I injected him with special parasites that I made, which released acid in his brain and heart, killing him for good."

"Parasites with acid? And you made them? How?" asked Donatello.

"With the aid of that structure." Monalisa said, pointing at a new bio-structure. It was roughly fifteen feet across the round base and only three feet high, a few large bone-spikes protruded on the edge while most of the base was covered in several giant, pulsating green cysts. Floating above at a hight of nearly twenty feet, was a large bulbous mass of green flesh, with a dozen finger-like claw-growths along its sides, each five feet long and all pointing down at the base, twitching slightly every now and then. A cobweb of thick mucus extended from the claw-fingers like webbing, and connected to the base below.

"That is a Baneling Nest, I had it constructed as soon as we were captured by Garbageman's goons.

It contains the genetic information needed to morph zerglings into Banelings, living bombs of acid. And that is what I used as a base for the parasites that I produced within my own body, and then used to kill Garbageman."

"You had it constructed when we got captured? How could you do that? I can't see any kind of technology here, rather the opposite." said Donatello.

"Through telepathy. The Zerg are connected to me both by having a part of my DNA as they originated from me, and we are all linked through a collective hivemind. I can see, hear, smell and feel whatever any member of my swarm does, and I can also give orders to them, all at any time"

"A hivemind? Mona, don't you hear how bad all this sounds?" said Leonardo. "What guarantee do we, do you, even have that your thoughts are your own any more?"

"Leo, I promise, I am still me, I'm just more than what I was before. And if it hadn't been for my Zerg, then we would not have survived until now. They saved us from certain death, just as I told them to."

"Mona, listen," Donatello began. "Let's go back to the lair and I'll run some tests on you. With any luck, I might be able to reverse this."

"Reverse it? No! I won't let you!" Monalisa half snapped. "Don't you see? With these powers, and the Zerg at my command, we could finally rid New York of the Foot! We could completely wipe them off the face of the Earth! No more Shredder, or Arashi, or Arden, or the Venomous Five! We could even go so far as to rid the entire city of all criminals, from the Purple Dragons and all the way down! No one would ever have to suffer at their hands again, we would be doing the world a favour!"

"I'm sorry, Mona, but Donnie is right." said Leonardo. "We can't be sure that we can trust this new power of yours, especially not with how it just appeared out of nowhere."

"Oh, I see how it is! You're all jealous because you're being left behind!" Monalisa yelled angrily. "No one complained when Tyroth's magic surfaced during his battle with Overlord, or when it kept growing in Skyrim! And when Sephie gained his powers fighting Fumetsu, no one questioned it for even a second! But now I've gotten powers of my own, and you instantly question it! Because you fear that I'll be in the same league as Tyroth and Sephie at their best, while you'll be stuck in our dust!"

"Mona, that's not-" Leonardo began.

"Save it, Fearless! At first you all go easy on me because you don't think I can handle myself, because I'm a girl, and now you want to restrict my potential because I'm far stronger than you! I've had enough of you! Of all of you!"

"But, sis-" said Michelangelo.

"Babe, you can't-" said Raphael.

"Shut up!" Monalisa shouted, then pointed to the far end of the cavern. "There is a tunnel leading to the sewers over there, now leave me!"

"But-"

"Get out!" Monalisa snarled at Leonardo and the others, before turning around and storming off.

The turtles, especially Raphael, tried to follow her, but were instantly blocked off by the zerglings, all who growled and snarled, their dorsal claws twitching. It was with heavy hearts and confusion in their minds that the four turtles had to obey, being escorted to the tunnel by the zerglings before continuing home to the lair, one member short.

* * *

Looking on from behind the hatchery as her adoptive brothers left the cave, Monalisa's eyes turned blue again for a brief moment, a single tear falling before they turned orange again, and she turned her attention back to her swarm, for something had come to her attention.

* * *

Earlier that night, in the Foot HQ, a lone ninja awoke with a heavy head, but as he tried to get up, he noticed that he couldn't move, something was holding him in place. Opening his eyes, he was met by strong lights, and once his eyes had adjusted, he was shocked and terrified to see that metal straps were around his wrists, ankles and waist, binding him tightly against a metal table, and the sleeve on his left arm was rolled up past his elbow as well.

"Ah, you are awake." he heard a voice say to his left, and looking in that direction, he saw doctor Arden walking over to him with a wicked smirk on his lips. "Then we can begin."

"S-sir? W-why am I here?" the ninja asked, trying not to sound as scared as he actually was.

"Oh, it's just that you have failed to meet our expectations, and our master don't want anyone not able to provide, so you have been given to me to use as a guinea pig for my experiments, like many others that fail us."

"B-but, but sir! I have never wavered in my loyalty to our master! Please, you can't do this! Have mercy!"

"Don't you worry, we're well aware of your loyalty, which is why you're one of the luckier ones. You see, I have developed a new healing serum, but before I can risk our more… competent ninja, I have to test it thoroughly, to see that it doesn't contain any nasty… side effects."

Fetching a trolley, Arden parked it close to the ninja, and several medical tools laid upon a medical tray, including a syringe filled with a burgundy liquid. Seeing those, the ninja's heart began to beat even faster and sweat formed on his forehead, a few wet spots showing on his mask as the fabric absorbed the moisture.

"This will be quick… but not entirely painless." Arden said as he picked up a scalpel, his smile never leaving his face. With no trace of hesitation, Arden brought the razor sharp blade to the ninja's bare arm, the edge effortlessly slicing through the skin. The ninja cried out in pain, but Arden still continued, leaving a long cut along the length of the arm.

"There… seven inches long… a tenth of an inch deep… perfect test wound for my healing serums. And now… the new serum."

Placing the scalpel back on the tray, Arden then proceeded with picking up the syringe, and let its needle pierce the ninja's flesh close to the fresh cut. Quickly emptying the entire dose, Arden withdrew the syringe, placing it back on the tray and waited for the results.

He had barely had time to let go of the syringe before the wound had started to heal at an almost alarming rate, making Arden grin so widely that his scarred left side wrinkled grotesquely. The healing rate was beyond what he had hoped for, even at this early stage of development, Now all he had to do was to see if Monalisa's new DNA came with any undesirable side effects and work to filter those out of his formula.

But he wasn't prepared for what happened next.

The ninja's body started to convulse and shake violently, like if he was having a seizure of the worst kind, his pained screams being little more than garbled noises, and as quickly as the wound had healed, the ninja's body changed.

His upper torso grew three times as muscular, ripping most of his uniform, with purple and green muscles and pieces of carapace showing. The left arm also grew larger, almost snapping the metal restraints, while the hand transformed into a three clawed pincer, while a broad bone-spike grew from the shoulder. The right arm had most of the fingers replaced with sharp, black claws, and two smaller limbs sprouted from the shoulder, each with a single sickle-like claw at the end. Two large and broad claws replaced most of what each foot had been, and the total length of the legs increased as the rest of the feet became part of them, turning the legs into digitigrade ones. Dozens of small, inch-long bone-spikes sprouted all over the shins and wrists, even some on the head, and the edges of extra large pieces of carapace on the side of the upper legs cut through the uniform's thighs. A pair of tusked mandibles sprouted from the cheeks, ripping most of the mask apart and revealing a mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth and a bladed tongue.

The pained noises had been replaced with agitated snarls, hisses and growls, and the creature looked at doctor Arden as it struggled against its restraints.

Arden had taken several steps back in shock at the violent transformation, and was at a complete loss for words, his mouth ajar and his eyes wide in shock and fear of what he had witnessed. Looking at the syringe, one question lingered in his mind.

"Monalisa… what has happened to you?"

But his question would have to wait, for the infested ninja broke free of the restraints, having used its sharp claws on the extra limbs to cut the binds, and now lumbered towards the doctor.

"Massshterrr…" it growled in a barely human voice.

 **Man, things sure have gone downhill now. Not only have Mona outright rejected her own family, but Arden has also discovered that there is far more to Mona's new DNA than he could ever have imagined. Though he might also be in more trouble than he realize.**

 **As I said last chapter, Mona acquired the parasites used to kill Garbageman through the morphing of the Baneling nest. Telepathic communications sure are useful.**

 **And now for some references... Oh boy...**

 **Tyroth fighting Overlord is from my very first story, Mutant Vigilantes, and his powers growing is mostly from Mutants Misplaced, another of my stories, as is when Sephie gained dragon powers in Cursed and Blessed.**

 **Finally, Mona saying that the turtles went easy on her is a reference to Holding Back, by Bloodrayne666, my dear friend and fellow writer, whom often do colabs together with me and vice versa, as such our respective stories are most often canon to each other, and it is her version of Monalisa that I'm using.  
Thanks again for that, Bloodrayne. :)  
**

 **Until next time! See you! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **Developments**

Back at the lair, Splinter had indeed grown worried about his children's prolonged absence, and after he hadn't been able to reach them on their shell-cells, had called April and Casey, whom had arrived just minutes before the turtles returned.

"About time you guys got back, we were starting to get worried." said Casey as he, April and Splinter met the four brothers at the entrance.

"Indeed, I was beginning to fear that something had gone wrong." said Splinter. But after looking at his sons for a brief moment, he noticed their sad and confused faces, as well as the absence of their sister. "Wait, why is Monalisa not with you?"

"Yeah, where is she?" April asked, starting to feel worried. "Has something happened to her?"

The four brothers looked at each other, uncertain what to say, and very uncertain about what had actually happened. Explaining the recent events would be a challenge, especially on the emotional level. At least the children were still sleeping before dinner, so they didn't have to explain it to them, not yet anyway.

* * *

Having gathered in the kitchen, Leonardo told them what little they knew with a heavy heart. Everything from how they had been captured and brought before Garbageman, to how the Zerg tore through his forces and Monalisa gained new powers, and the part with Monalisa choosing to remain with her Zerg rather than go home with the turtles caused the hearts of the others to fall as well.

"My daughter… Why?" Splinter said under his breath, greatly saddened by this event.

"She stayed with those things?! Is she out of her mind?!" said Casey.

"You may not be so far from the truth, Casey." said Donatello. "She was definitely not herself, at least not entirely."

"But what can we do to get her back?" asked April, trying to figure out a solution.

Before any one could answer, a small voice was heard.

"Daddy! You're back!" the happy voice of Pandora squealed as she ran over to her father and hugged him.

"Pandora?! What are you doing up now?!" Raphael exclaimed, as he and the others all worried about what was about to happen.

"I woke up and was thirsty, so I was going to get a glass of water, then I saw you." the small, pyjamas dressed turtle/lizard said. Then she looked up at her father and saw that he seemed sad, and that Monalisa wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Daddy? What's wrong? Where's mummy?"

Everyone chewed their lips. They had no good explanation to why Monalisa was missing.

"Pandora…" Raphael began, trying to keep a straight face, but he just couldn't hold back the tears that started to form in his eyes, staining his mask.

"Why are you crying, daddy? Is something wrong with mummy?"

"Pandora… your mother, she… she didn't want to live with us any more..." he half sobbed. "She's gone to live with… with some monsters… and she don't want to come back..."

"W-what? But… but… no. mummy can't leave us. She can't leave me."

"She's already done that… I'm sorry…"

Pandora's heart broke, she couldn't believe that her mother would leave her.

"No… no… no! No! She can't! She have to come back! Make her come back home, daddy!" the small mutant cried, tears running down her cheeks in numbers.

"I can't…" Raphael choked, he too crying.

"NO!" Pandora screamed, and ran to her room. "I want mummy back!"

"Pandora!" Leonardo called out, but she didn't listen.

Seeing how heartbroken the child was brought tears to the eyes of the others. They still had no idea of how they should have told her, but that wasn't the way they wanted. Rising from the table, Raphael stormed off towards the dojo, wanting to take out his anger, frustration and grief on his punching bag, but he didn't get very far before Michelangelo managed to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Get a grip, bro!" he said, turning Raphael around.

"'Get a grip'!? 'Get a grip'!? I just lost my mate to some damn bug monsters, and you want me to get a grip?!" Raphael snarled, tears still rolling down his cheeks.

"Yeah, I do, and you know why?!" Michelangelo snapped back, and before Raphael could get a word in, Michelangelo continued talking. "Because I've also lost something, my beloved big sister! We've all lost someone today, but you know who lost the most today?! Pandora! Because she just lost her mother! And right now, she needs you, her father, more than anything else! More than her Granddad, more than any Aunt or Uncle, even her favourite Uncle! She needs you. Be there for her. Please."

For what seemed like the longest time, Raphael just stood there, staring at his youngest brother, then he sighed and started walking towards Pandora's room. But after a few feet, he stopped and turned back to Michelangelo.

"Thanks, Mikey." he said.

"Any time, bro." Michelangelo said with a small smile.

The others couldn't help but smile a little at Michelangelo's actions, feeling proud of him, especially Splinter.

"Well done, my son." the old rat whispered.

* * *

In Pandora's room, the small mutant was laying in bed, her face buried in her pillow, and one of her toy bears in her arm, crying and sobbing from the bottom of her heart.

"Mummy… Mummy… I want my mummy…"

She never noticed when Raphael opened the door and stepped inside, nor did she notice when he sat down next to her in bed. It wasn't until he placed his hand on her back that she looked up and, through her tears, saw her father's face.

"Pandora…"

"Daddy…"

As sad as she was, she couldn't hold any thing back, and threw her arms around Raphael's neck, crying into his shoulder while he held her close, crying as well.

"Daddy… I want mummy back…" she sobbed.

"I know…. I want your mummy back too…"

"Why did she leave us? Why?"

"I don't know, Pandora… but I promise you, we will all do what we can to get her back… And I won't ever leave you, I'll stay here with you forever!"

"Daddy… I love you, daddy…"

"I love you too… my dear little Geisha…"

* * *

"So, what do we do?" Casey asked scratching his head.

"I wish I knew, but I don't even know where to begin tackling this problem." said Leonardo.

"Is she in any danger?" April asked. "Monalisa that is."

"Not in the way we usually are." said Donatello. "Those Zerg creatures do seem to obey her, and after seeing how they tore Garbageman's forces to shreds, so I don't think anyone would be able to threaten her, if they were able to find her. But I can't say if she's really safe from the Zerg, or herself for that matter."

"But where did these creatures come from?" Splinter asked. "From your descriptions, they do not seem to be of this world."

"Yeah, it's like they were ripped straight from a video game or movie." said Michelangelo. "You know, maybe they are some form of demons."

"I don't know." said Donatello. "I mean, it is possible I suppose. There might still be rogue groups of demons that didn't leave with the others, and Mona's new abilities certainly didn't seem natural or even scientific possible, so there could be magic involved here."

"Even if it isn't, this sounds like something that might be too big for us to deal with on our own." said April. "I say that we call Tyroth and the Chicago Knights for help."

"Yeah, bring in the cavalry!" Casey agreed.

"I agree with you, April." said Leonardo. "Even if magic isn't involved, Tyroth's own might just be the thing we need to save Mona."

"It will still take them at least an hour to get here. I'd better make the call right now then." said Donatello, picking up his shell-cell, though he wasn't even sure how to explain any of this at the time, so it would have to wait until their friends arrived.

* * *

Back in Arden's laboratory, the wicked scientist was hard at work on a computer when the doors opened, and the Shredder, not in his armour, walked in, followed closely by Arashi, like a dog on a leash.

"Doctor." the foot leader said, making his presence known.

"Ah, master." Arden said, getting up from his computer, walking over and bowing to his leader. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"You told me that you had made an important discovery. Show it to me."

"Yes, at once, master." Arden said, snapping his fingers.

At that signal, the ninja that he had injected with the new healing serum stepped into view, still as grotesque and hideous as right after his transformation, and both the Shredder and Arashi took a step back in shock.

"What is that… abomination?" Arashi asked.

"The results of my new serums, based on the new blood sample from the lizard whore Monalisa." Arden answered. "But, as you can see, something clearly has changed."

"Explain yourself, doctor." the Shredder demanded in a voice like steel.

"When I analysed the new sample, I discovered that it was genetically very different from previous samples, like if she had continued to mutate, and at a high rate as well, or that her DNA had been spliced, combined with something else. After some work, I had managed to make new serums from this sample, and I was testing the healing serum on this ninja here. The new healing ability was beyond anything I have created before, but shortly after, the ninja mutated into this form. It must be because of whatever mutation that has afflicted Monalisa."

"So the new serum turned one of our ninja into this?"

"Exactly. This is something that I could never have imagined. But, it wasn't without it's benefits."

"What kind of benefits?"

"All my tests points towards a heavily improved physique in the subject. Reflexes, strength, endurance, healing ability, senses, everything have improved to levels that rivals or outclasses even that of the mutants. And while their speech may be slightly impaired, and their thoughts seemingly muddled, they have far more advantages to make up for that."

"They? You mean there are more than this one?" asked Arashi.

"Indeed there are." said Arden with a wicked smile. "I did have to preform multiple tests after all."

With another snap of his fingers, eleven more infested ninja walked in from a neighbouring room, and while all had a very similar appearance, there were minor differences, such as which arm that was larger, how many clawed fingers they had, the length and shape of their quills, and additional minor growths.

But there were also some more distinctive differences. Three of them had more muscular bodies with both arms twisted and strong looking, another three were more rotund and had broader necks, and yet another three had larger heads, while the last two looked pretty much like the very first one.

"As you can see, they do have some things in common, which are directly linked to the new abilities that I hoped to steal from Monalisa's new sample." Arden explained. "The first one, and the two like him, all possess a far greater healing ability than the others, derived from the new healing serum.

Those with more muscles are far stronger than the rest, and got this ability from a potential strength serum.

The fatter ones, gained their unique abilities from a mutation in Monalisa's digestive system, and they seem to be able to eat almost anything, as well as regurgitate a highly corrosive acid at their foes.

The last ones have gained a small level of telekinetic powers, something I didn't even believe existed, and can thus move smaller objects with their minds, and this is from genes linked to Monalisa's own brain."

"She possesses such DNA? You haven't mentioned this to me before, doctor." Shredder said, looking sternly at Arden.

"She has never had anything that even suggested something like this, master. This is completely new, and whatever outside element that caused her to gain these new mutations haven't caused any visible changes in her according to our scouts. And yet the serums that I created to test and identify her new mutations and abilities, were able to mutate my test subjects to this state just seconds after being injected with them."

The Shredder turned his eyes back to the infested ninja, inspecting them, remembering the creatures he had created partially in image of his human disguise over a decade earlier.

"Can they be controlled?" he asked.

"Without a doubt, master. While I wouldn't recommend them for anything intellectually demanding, they have preformed all my commands without even the slightest hesitation."

"Then let us test that." the Shredder said, then he pointed at the first of the infested ninja. "You! Attack me!"

"No… musssht not harrrm… massshterrr…" the ninja responded in a raspy voice.

"Unable to attack their master, huh? That is a good trait, but I want to see their potential." the Shredder said in a low voice, analysing the creatures in his mind. "I am your master, and I command you to fight me until I say otherwise!"

"I… obey…"

The infested ninja leaped at his master with surprising speed, his claws ready to slash, but the Shredder was fast enough to grab onto its arms and throw it over himself with the aid of its own momentum.

Quickly turning around in the air, the ninja landed on his feet and again lunged at the Shredder, who had now drawn the katana that he carried. After deflecting several of the ninja's powerful attacks, the Shredder counter attacked with a quick and powerful slash at the abdomen of the ninja.

The thick skin and carapace absorbed a lot of the attack, but it was still able to leave a bleeding wound, however, that wound healed almost as quickly as it had been inflicted. Feeling that he was satisfied, and that it would be foolish to risk being damaged, the Shredder gave the ninja a good kick to the stomach to push it away from him.

"That is enough." he said, to which the ninja instantly stopped fighting.

"Excellent work, doctor Arden." the Shredder said with a faint smile, turning to the scientist. "This is truly a remarkable discovery."

"Thank you, master." Arden said, bowing and smiling almost as much on the outside as on the inside. "If I am given a little more time, I may be able to fine-tune and create many more of this new breed of mutants, though I would require more of Monalisa's new DNA soon as well."

The Shredder nodded and turned to Arashi.

"Arashi, I have new orders for our ninja. They are to engage the lizard mutant Monalisa on sight. She is to be captured if possible, or killed and her body recovered, at any cost. Her new DNA will be the advantage we need to finally deal with the turtles."

"Hai, master! At once!" Arashi said, bowing quickly before grabbing his cellphone to deliver new orders to all ninja.

 **Man do I feel horrible for poor Pandora. It was so hard to write that part, with it keep tugging at my heart. T_T  
Maybe I'm too soft for writing these kinds of scenes.**

 **Anyway, the team have decided to call for help, and with the Foot now having their own infested troops, they may need it more than they know.**

 **Stay tuned for more. :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 **Requesting Reinforcements**

Underneath the city of Chicago, in the caverns that filled the underground, the dragon mutant Tyroth, and his gecko mutant mate Sephie, were enjoying some quality time together, the couple sitting all alone in the underground hot-spring that the citizens of Mutopia used as a public bath house.

With the warm water easing all her muscles, Sephie moaned slightly as her lover gently massaged her shoulders.

"Mmm… you sure know how to pamper me, love." she said, reaching back with one hand and stroking her mate's cheek.

"You deserve it, babe." the dragon said, leaning in and kissing the side of her neck, sending pleasant chills down her spine.

"Stop it!" she giggled, though she didn't want him to stop at all.

They were, however, interrupted when Tyroth's shell-cell started ringing.

"Oh, come on." Sephie, groaned in annoyance. "Didn't you tell everyone that we didn't want to be bothered?"

"I did." Tyroth said, as he reluctantly got up from the hot water and fetched the shell-cell among their things, looking at the display. "'Donatello'? He doesn't call very often… this might be important."

"Well put it on speaker then, and let's hear what he wants." said Sephie, moving closer to the edge of the spring, hoping that they could keep it short and get back to being alone.

"Hello, Tyroth here." the dragon answered, having started the speaker mode.

"And Sephie too." the gecko cut in.

"Hey, guys, it's Donatello. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Only some down time." said Tyroth, with the faintest hint of disappointment.

"Oh, well sorry about that, but I'm afraid that this is too important to wait with."

"What's wrong, Donnie?"

"To tell you the truth, we don't really know. I'm not even sure how to explain it yet. But I fear that we… might lose Mona."

"What?!" the couple exclaimed in shock.

"What's happened to her?!" Sephie asked with a hint of fear in her voice. She and Monalisa were like sisters, and always looked after each other.

"She's still alive, but that's about all we know for certain right now. Please, just come and help us, and bring everyone, we could use all the help we can get."

"Don't worry, Don." said Tyroth. "We'll gather the Knights and head over as soon as we can."

"Thank you. And could you please bring James as well. We might just need him too."

"We'll take care of it, Donnie. See you within in a few hours." said Sephie as they ended the call.

Getting up from the water, Sephie started drying herself with a towel while Tyroth let his flames dry him, both wondering what could have happened.

"I hope that Mona is alright." Sephie said, feeling how a knot of discomfort and worry grew in her stomach.

"Yeah, me too." said Tyroth as he got dressed. "I wonder what have happened, for Donnie to not know how to explain something, it must be something really serious, or magical."

"Whatever it is, I don't like it one bit, Tyroth. Let's hurry and gather the others!"

* * *

A few minutes later, the couple had made it back to Mutopia, and had managed to gather the other Knights in the mess hall, together with James, and old George. Sonia was also there by the time the adults gathered, and chose to remain as she wanted to one day become a Knight as well, and hoped to learn a thing or two by listening, but it wasn't what she expected that they spoke about.

"So Mona's gone missing?" Sharky the shark asked, scratching his head.

"I knew something was wrong when Mikey didn't show up on Skype in time." said Kate the viper.

"Not exactly." Tyroth explained. "In truth, we don't know what's happened, but she is in trouble, and the others have asked that we all help them."

"All of us? The entire team?" the cheetah Sarah said slightly shocked. "We've never been that many to their place before. It's gonna get cramped over there."

"Better grab some sleeping bags and such, 'cause I'm guessing we'll be sharing rooms to some extent." said Jack the wolf.

"I am more worried about little Pandora." said Heather the dragonfly. "If her mother is missing, she must be horribly upset by now."

"Oh God! I hadn't even thought about that!" said Sephie. "Poor girl must be crying her eyes out, I know I did when I accidentally wandered away from my mother at that age." she then thought for a while. "I really would like for them to stay here, in case this turns out to be dangerous, but I think that we should bring the Geckolings. Hopefully, they can keep their cousin occupied while we all look for Mona."

"That's a good idea, Sephie. The kids do get along so well." said Amber the marine iguana. "Though someone older probably should look after them as well."

"I can do that." said Sonia, raising her hand. "They're my cousins too, and I can't really help you, at least not like I want to, but I can look after them instead."

"That's very kind of you, Sonia, and that will be a great help to us all." said Tyroth.

"Well if that is settled, I think that we should start packing all the stuff we need," said James the chimpanzee. "and while I'm not sure why they would need my help, far be it for me to not help if I can, but I will need some help gathering my medical supplies as well."

"I'll give you a hand with that." said Kate.

"Then let's hurry, even with the Ninjet it will take us an hour to get to New York. Make sure that you got all you need and we will leave in thirty minutes." said Tyroth.

* * *

Over in New York, right after the turtles had left Monalisa's Hive cluster, the Queen of the Zerg stood and looked out over her growing army, and then herself. Despite her wounds having healed completely, her body and clothes still carried the signs of the battle she had fought.

Her crop-top and one leg warmer both had a bullet hole with a blood stain around it, and her loin cloth were stained by the blood from the wounds she had received in her stomach. One of her gloves was still on her severed arm and had blood splatter on it, and after retrieving it and putting on again, she simply threw the old arm into one of the orifices of the hatchery to be dissolved.

At some point, she would have to repair or replace her clothes, but that would have to wait. For the time being, she inspected the aftermath of the siege of Junktopia through the eyes of her Zerg, mostly the zerglings, but also the drones on occasion.

For the most part, the drones were busy gathering new resources, namely destroyed equipment, building materials and corpses, and returning them to the hatchery to be processed, just like the garbage they used to collect. They even took Garbageman's obese corpse, though they had to cut it up in more manageable chunks.

However, almost everything else was left intact, as there was a possibility that the working equipment could still be of better use as tools rather than resources. The elevator that had brought them down into the tunnels was one such thing, and Monalisa had dispatched a few zerglings to have a closer look at it, while also having several more explore all the other tunnels.

One led to a large underground lake, and after sending a drone into the water to scout further, it was revealed that it connected to the ocean outside New York, and must have been how Garbageman survived. All other tunnels led to more elevators, all looking roughly the same, depending on the quality of parts that had been used in their construction.

They seemed simple enough to use, and everyone had its own power source and EMP generator, so could still be used even if all of Junktopia had been completely destroyed, and thus allowed the Zerg to go to the surface and gather even more resources with the aid of it. But, there was one problem, out of all the Zerg, only Monalisa had the appendages capable of using the controls, any other Zerg, no matter how careful they would be, would risk damaging the machine with their sharp claws.

But she was the queen, she shouldn't have to perform such a lowly and boring task, not when she could delegate it to someone else. She just needed someone suited for it.

Having a vague memory of some sort of command strain, Monalisa delved deeper into the Hivemind to investigate what, and she found the Broodmother, designed to aid the leader of the Swarm, while also be able to command a brood on its own.

But looking at the form of it in her mind, Monalisa was very disappointment. They had a lower body similar to that of a spider, eight-legged with an abdomen and webbing between the two sets of legs, while the upper body was that of a humanoid insectoid, covered in strong plate carapace, while also being vaguely feminine. It had two arms, each ending with a hand of two long finger-claws. The head was also covered in carapace, and lacked any facial features save for two eyes and a pair of mandibles that grew from the sides of the head and converged in front of the face. A broad plate shield grew from the back of the head, similar to that of a triceratops but angled more downward and with many large spikes.

While the torso at least was somewhat humanoid, the hands were little more than longer claws. Sure, the broodmother would be very effective at managing the Swarm for Monalisa, and would understand how to operate machinery, but it would still be limited by its physique. No, what Monalisa wanted was something more like a human, or more like her.

It would seem like she would have to go hunting for a suitable… employee. And she knew where she could find someone that would fit that.

Before leaving, she put the evolution chamber to work on the necessary tools she would need.

* * *

Walking through the sewers, together with a group consisting of twenty zerglings, two roaches and six drones, Monalisa made her way to one of the old grates down in the southern parts of New York. She knew that those parts were basically under the control of the Purple Dragons, despite how many of them she and the turtles had taken down over the years.

Monalisa hated the gang with a passion unrivalled by the majority of New York's population, and with all right, after they brutally beat and raped her before rubbing her with reptile poison and dumping her in the sewers, thinking that she was dead. And God know how many other have to suffer similar fates because of that gang, how many that they prey upon.

But now, there was a new predator in town, an ever-evolving apex predator, and it was hungry.

* * *

After having her Zerg open the old grate, Monalisa proceeded on her own, sticking to the shadows as she searched for wherever the lowlifes would hide. And after fifteen minutes of searching, she found one of their hideouts, an abandoned warehouse near the docks.

Seeing some guards outside the large doors, she sneakily moved past them and down the side. She looked through one of the windows, and saw many Purple Dragons inside, more than fifty of them, both male and female, going over all manners of loot they had gathered while also going down on some of their stores of booze with just enough dugs to get a small rush, seemingly celebrating their success. Looking into the middle of the large area, Monalisa also saw three young women, all gagged and tied up to chairs, victims of the gang that would be used later, and it made Monalisa's blood boil.

"Enjoy life while you can, 'cause it will end tonight." she growled in a low voice.

But she wouldn't engage the gang without her Swarm, and summoned them to her. The zerglings were fast enough to dart through the shadows with the same ease as her, and were at her side in a matter of minutes. The roaches and drones were however too slow to reach her without being seen, so they had to take a different path through the sewers, reaching a place just underneath the warehouse. But there were no way for the drones to climb up to the surface from there, so they would have to wait until one could be made. The roaches, on the other hand, effortlessly burrowed into the concrete and tunnelled their way up through the walls of concrete and earth, laying in wait just underneath the concrete floor of the warehouse, waiting for their Queen to command them.

With her forces ready, Monalisa made her move. Walking to the front entrance, she was instantly spotted by the five guards, but before they could really do anything, she threw a Kinetic Blast at the closest one. The nearly invisible force hit the man's torso with such power that it almost turned to mush as the body was sent flying like a ragdoll, or pieces of one.

To the other Purple Dragons, it seemed like their friend had spontaneously exploded. They were so shocked that they couldn't manage to utter a single sound as they stared at the remains flying through the air.

That was all the distraction Monalisa needed, and her zerglings quickly rushed around the corner and attacked the remaining guards, their razor-sharp claws tearing them to pieces in no time at all, all while the Purple Dragons inside couldn't tell the sounds of terror and slaughter from the party they were having.

But the party was brought to an abrupt end when the two large doors were shattered, the remaining debris raining down on the thugs. When they looked up from having covered their heads and faces, they saw Monalisa standing in the doorway, her orange eyes glowing.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"Look! It's the lizard-bitch freak!"

"Nobody, least of all a freak, crashes our party! Kill her!"

The Purple Dragons all drew whatever weapons they had at hand, everything from crowbars, chains, pipes and knifes, to pistols, uzis, shotguns and assault rifles, but they all stopped dead in their tracks when the twenty zerglings dashed in and flanked their Queen.

"Attack." Monalisa commanded in a cold voice, her mouth curling into an evil smile.

The zerglings all rushed against the Purple Dragons, only a few of which managed to gather themselves enough to start shooting before the Zerg tore into their ranks. But just like Garbageman's troops earlier that night, the thugs stood little chance against the swarm, and even their best weapons did little damage to the Zerg carapace.

Meanwhile, the zerglings' claws cut through flesh, bones and metal like nothing, tearing one gang member apart after the other. Many died instantly as claws cut off their heads or tore open their torsos, others fell to the floor screaming in pain from the loss of one or more limbs or passed out directly, only to be run over by the encroaching aliens.

As they were loosing ground, the gang tried to retreat out the back door, but that route was quickly cut off by the emergence of the two roaches, whom effortlessly cut down, swatted aside and melted several more gang members.

A group of thugs, most of which wielding assault rifles, realized that Monalisa was the real threat, the one commanding the Zerg, so they aimed their weapons at her, hoping that killing her would stop the Swarm. But Monalisa saw this, and she wouldn't allow it.

Her eyes flashed orange, and the group of thugs aiming for her, together with a few more that stood too close, all floated upward into the air, screaming in pain as an intense pressure was applied to their whole bodies. Over the course of five seconds, every bone in their bodies were shattered and their organs crushed, even their weapons and any kinds of piercings or jewellery were crumpled into an unrecognisable state, and blood was forced out through their every pore and orifice. It was a most agonising death, despite being relatively quick, and the remains were simply dropped back onto the concrete floor, like half filled trash-bags.

And throughout all the slaughter, the three bound women could only stare in horror and disbelief, not knowing if they had just gone from the frying pan and into the fire.

* * *

After a short while, the battle was over, and the floor was riddled with the bodies of the Purple Dragons, while the Zerg had suffered no casualties, the weapons of the gang were simply not powerful enough.

The Zerg began moving about, pacing all over the place, while Monalisa walked up to the women with a determined gait. The three women squirmed and pleaded for their lives as Monalisa picked up a knife, but to their surprise, she only used it to cut their ropes.

"You're free now." she said calmly. "Hurry back to where you belong." Then she started investigating the dead. The women didn't need any more incentive, and quickly ran out of the building, almost tripping a few times on the bodies, though the Zerg kept a clear path for them.

While Monalisa kept checking the bodies, the roaches used their acid to melt a tunnel through the floor, so that the drones could come up and collect all the biomass. It didn't take long before the broad tunnel was completed, and drones began travelling up and down it with corpses, it would still take a while, but the place would be empty before long.

Despite how violent the fight had been, there were actually survivors among the gang members, three male, one bald and the other having blonde dreadlocks and a blue Mohawk respectively, and two female, one with pink pigtails and the other a high ponytail with red and blue stripes.

Having them pulled aside, Monalisa inspected them all more closely.

The bald male is missing his left arm and was bleeding out, probably won't live for much longer.

The guy with the dreadlocks seemed mostly unharmed, but upon moving him it became clear that his neck was broken. The fact that he was still alive was a sign of strength.

The girl with the pigtails had received a nasty gash across her face, and the attack that had left it had also taken one eye in the process.

The guy with the Mohawk woke up when Monalisa was looking at the others, and quickly reached for another gun that he had on him, but he wasn't able to do anything more, as a zergling saw this and reacted by pouncing on the guy and stabbing him to death with the claws.

Finally, the girl with the ponytail had a bump on her forehead, and had seemingly lose conciousness from whatever had struck her. At worse, she would have a concussion when she woke up.

After thinking for a while, Monalisa came to a decision, and pointed at one of the four survivors.

"Take this one back to the hive, alive and without further injuries." she ordered one of her drones. "Kill the rest."

 **The turtles have called in the big guns now, and all of the Chicago Knights are on their way. The lair is going to be filled to the brim.**

 **But Mona is also looking for a way to gain more allies, not that she actually needs it, with how fast the Zerg can multiply.  
But whom did she pick? And what is she cooking up in the Evolution Chamber?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **Reinforcements**

 **Warning! Serious Warning! Highly sexual content upcoming!  
For all that are offended in any way of such, scroll down to the first linebreak.  
Or simply accept it and get comfortable.  
Your pick. ;)**

Headache. Pain in the body. The feeling of something cold and moist underneath.

These were the sensations that a Purple Dragon experienced upon regaining consciousness. The memories of what had happened were still somewhat fuzzy, but one event lingered, the attack of monstrous bugs, all lead by the lizard freak, and how they slaughtered the gang.

Panic and confusion began to form. Questions about how it was possible to survive such a force.

Eyes fluttered and slowly opened, meeting a dim and soft light, as well as a figure standing several feet away, the figure of the female lizard.

"Oh, you're awake already?" she said upon seeing the thug regain consciousness. "Guess we got back just in time then."

"Ugh… how… where… what…?"

But Monalisa didn't answer, she only stood there, studying her captive in greater detail.

It was the female with the red and blue hair in a ponytail, and was probably a few years younger than Monalisa, with a well toned body. She wore a short, sleeveless purple top, studded leather armlets, a pair of torn jeans shorts and high skin boots. With how short her top was, her midriff was bare for all to see, and she had the signature tattoo of the Purple Dragons on both the stomach and the lower back. She also had a pair of stud piercings in her eyebrow, almost looking like small metal horns on her and her eyes were dark blue.

"The freak bitch!?" the thug said, as things were starting to connect, if only a little. "What happened? Where's my gang?"

"I wouldn't worry about them, they're all dead now, and you're the only survivor."

"What?! No! It can't be!" the thug yelled, but as she did, memories of the attack became clearer, and she remembered how her comrades had been slaughtered before she was knocked out, and the once responsible for it were the giant bugs, all lead by Monalisa.

"Damn bitch! I'll kill you!" the woman snarled, but as she was about to get back up and throw herself at Monalisa, several large claws suddenly blocked her intended path from both sides. Looking around, nervously so, she saw that she was flanked by no less than six zerglings, and it was clear that she wasn't in any position of power. All she could do was to sit and wait. Looking past the creatures, she saw that she was in a cave, with large organic buildings growing from a fleshy floor.

"What the hell are these things?! And where am I?!"

"These are the Zerg, my Zerg, and you are in my Hive cluster." Monalisa said rather bluntly. "And I have chosen you to join us."

"Join you?! Fuck off! I don't know what kind of bug freaks you've gotten hold of, but I'll never join a fucking freak like you! Just crawl back under whatever rock you came from!"

Monalisa's eyes flared orange, and she took a few quick steps forward, grabbing the female thug by the side of her head.

"Listen, and listen good, Dana!" she said in a dark voice, glaring into the thug's eyes, her own glowing as if on fire. "It is because of you Purple Dragons that I became like this almost a decade ago! And you have all hurt so many more than just me! You Purple Dragons are pests, vermin that needs to be exterminated, and I will do just that!"

"H-how do you know my name?" Dana stammered, being outright terrified. Monalisa released the grip and took a step back.

"I know how to know." she said, casually brushing away a few locks of her hair. In reality, she had been able to read some of Dana's mind when they were in contact with each other, a powerful benefit of Monalisa's growing psionic powers.

And during that short time, she not only learned Dana's name, but also that she harboured thoughts that she didn't want anyone to know, dark secrets that intrigued Monalisa. Despite how much Dana hated her, she also felt attracted to Monalisa. Something about Monalisa's reptilian features appealed to Dana, and part of her, a very small part, seemed to almost lust for the Lizard Lady.

This was just something that Monalisa could use, an angle to work so that she could bring Dana over to her side of her own will. And Monalisa had already used a similar tactic to deal with a few Purple Dragons when she first gained the power of the Swarm. Internally, she started to prepare, her body beginning to produce the new hormones and substances that she desired.

"Just like the rest of your gang, you have wronged many people, done many bad things." Monalisa began. "I can kill you very easily, but I won't, instead I'm offering not only the chance to repent and do some good for once, but also your life, a brand new one even."

"Forget it!" Dana snapped back.

"Isn't that a shame. I'll have you know that I'm a very generous Queen to those that serve me well." Monalisa said, gently dropping to her knees in front of Dana, leaning close towards her. "Very generous, indeed."

"H-hey! G-get away from me!"

"Is that really what you want?" Monalisa said, her eyes locking with Dana's for a few brief moments, before travelling down the top of her body. "Because I don't think that's the case. No, you are suppressing your true feelings, aren't you?"

"W-what? No! I just… just…" Dana tried to say more, but couldn't find the words, and it didn't get any easier when Monalisa gently stroked Dana's cheek with the back of her hand. The touch of the scaly but smooth skin sending the faintest of chills down the human's spine. She wanted to pull away, but she couldn't, something in her mind was stopping her.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone have their own interests." Monalisa said in a low voice, her breath touching Dana's face like a gentle breeze. "And I can give you what you want, all you have to do…" Monalisa leaned in even closer, and their lips met in a gentle kiss. "… is accept it."

A thousand thoughts were racing through Dana's mind.

"But, if you're not interested…" Monalisa said, and started to pull back.

"W-wait!" Dana exclaimed, and Monalisa smirked. She had swallowed the bait. "Um… m-maybe… I-I don't know…"

"Then let me guide you." Monalisa said, kissing Dana again, who this time kissed back.

Carefully, and still a bit hesitant, Dana began to wrap her arms around Monalisa, holding her close while the two exchanged kisses, increasing the passion behind them ever so slowly. Dana was beginning to give in to her own desires, and that was all that Monalisa needed. Dana was already hers, now all that remained was to finalise the pact, which Monalisa did by releasing her specialised weapon into her saliva, a variant of the Zerg Hyper Evolutionary Virus, one that would slowly infest and transform the human into what Monalisa needed, all while Dana was lost in lust, which was also growing thanks to the pheromones that accompanied the virus.

Breaking both the kisses and the embrace, Monalisa straightened up and easily removed her crop top, exposing her breasts to the cool cave air, the nipples instantly going erect. She guided Dana's hands to them, letting her massage them to her hearts content, while Monalisa reached for one of her fans, and used the sharp blades to cut apart Dana's top, leaving her just as exposed. But Dana didn't mind, she was too caught up in the moment to really even notice it, instead she leaned in closer and started kissing, licking and sucking at Monalisa's nipples as soon as the remains of the top had fallen from her body.

Monalisa moaned softly in pleasure, and let her hands travel up and down Dana's back, and there she felt it, how the changes had started. Patches were no longer as smooth as human skin normally is, but was getting more rough as it morphed into scale-like carapace. Bringing up Dana's face to her own, she saw that the teeth had gotten sharper and the hair on her head had started to fall off, giving way to bone-like studs that would keep growing for quite a while longer.

Reaching one hand down, Monalisa opened Dana's shorts and let her hand travel down inside them, finding purchase against her wet, waiting lips, through which a finger slipped inside, making Dana moan out loudly, all while her fingernails turned into claws and a new limb began to grow from her lower back, a short and stubby tail. The skin on her forehead stretched and rose up along her piercings, covering them completely as they were also assimilated into her body.

Swiftly but softly, Monalisa pushed Dana onto her back, and removed both her shorts and her own loincloth and hot pants, leaving both of them as good as naked. With gentle kisses, Monalisa worked her way down from Dana's chest, over her stomach, and down between her thighs. A single but oh so gentle kiss on Dana's most intimate parts sent a wave of pleasure throughout her entire body, making her gasp and dig her fingers into the creep around her. Her hands were now all covered in a leathery skin, and it continued up her arms, growing over and closing around her armlets, just like it had around her piercings, all while sharp claws cut through her boots.

The feeling of Monalisa's tongue dancing over Dana's opening sent the infested human into a daze, feeling nothing else but the intimate sensation of pleasure building up to a climax, soon to be released. Sharp edges of new carapace on her shins cut through her boots, leaving her feet bare, and the stubby tail grew longer and thinner, clearly reptilian in form with a line of spikes along the length. A pair of horns sprouted from where the piercings had been, while the armlets had been assimilated as well and replaced with extra thick carapace with many short bone spikes. The bone-like growths that had replaced the hair had continued to grow, matching the length of the hair.

As the climax drew closer, Monalisa stopped her treatment, much to the disappointment of Dana.

"Not yet, my dear." Monalisa said with a kind voice. "It's time to see if you can give as good as you get."

Rolling over and spreading her legs, Monalisa didn't even have to ask Dana to anything, as she was already on her way into position, crawling over the mutant. Mere moments later, she had her head buried between the Lizard Lady's legs, greedily licking and drinking all her sweet juices, while Monalisa found Dana's own opening in front of her face again, and slowly resumed her careful licking.

Now actively ingesting Monalisa's fluids, Dana's rate of transformation was sped up. Almost all of her body was covered by leathery skin and patches of carapace, her tail was nearly three feet long, her nipples regressed into her breasts, leaving them little more that a pair of firm lumps on her chest, and her tongue had grown both longer and pointier, allowing her to further please Monalisa.

Finally, Monalisa allowed herself to strike the weak points with her tongue, sending an orgasm without its like cascading throughout Dana's body, mere seconds before Dana herself managed to make Monalisa climax as well. And Dana's climax finalised her infestation, as only her face remained human, though her eyes now were orange, and a pair of extra arms almost exploded from her shoulder-blades, each ending with a two finger-claw, like those of the broodmother but a few inches longer.

As a benefit of being Zerg, both females recovered instantly, despite the waves of intense pleasure still coursing through their bodies, and Monalisa quickly got back on her feet, helping Dana up as well.

"Now, Dana my dear, will you join me?" Monalisa asked, holding Dana close.

"My Queen, I will." Dana answered with a smile, her old life nothing more than a faint memory. "My life for the Swarm. Your Swarm."

"Wonderful. Welcome to my Swarm, Dana, my Maiden of the Swarm." Monalisa said, the two kissing passionately. "Now, you'd better get to work. We will have company soon, and I want to be presentable."

"Yes, my Queen."

Watching Dana walk away, Monalisa got dressed again, feeling very accomplished over her new member of her brood. Granted, she could just as easily have forced this change upon Dana, but this way was far more satisfying, in more ways than one.

She was now one more step closer to riding the city of anything that could threaten her family, and she would succeed at it.

By any means necessary, and any cost, the ends would justify the means.

* * *

Some time later, the entrance to the turtles' lair opened, and all of the Chicago Knights entered, together with Sonia, Freya, Loki and James, all of the adults carrying large bags and suitcases.

"So this is the place, huh? Not too bad, in fact quite a lot like home." said James as he laid eyes on the lair for the first time.

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet. But man, it wasn't easy to get here today." Percy complained as he put down what he was carrying and wiped his brow.

"No kidding. We've never had to park the Ninjet **on top of a building** before." said Amber.

"Couldn't be helped." said Tyroth. "Donnie's text said that we should avoid all the scrapyards, and we really don't have any good places to park the jet for longer periods of time."

"Maybe we could ask Haito to purchase a warehouse somewhere here in New York, and turn it into the same kind of hangar we have in Chicago." said Heather.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." said Jack.

"Guys! Man, are we glad to see you!" the group heard Donatello call out as he hurried over to meet them. "Glad you could make it on such short notice."

"You can always count on us to help." said Sarah. "But we still don't know what's going on."

"Like I told Tyroth and Sephie, we're not entirely sure ourselves. Once you've all gotten settled in, join us in the dojo, and we will try to explain."

"How are Raph and the kids?" Sephie asked.

"And Mikey?" Kate cut in.

"Not too good, I'm afraid." Donatello answered with a sad voice, looking back into the lair. "Pandora has been crying ever since she learned that Mona didn't come with us, but Raph's been there for her, so they're comforting each other. Kemeko took it a little better, she's still very sad, but nothing near that of Pandora. And Mikey, well… he's not the happy turtle we all remember, and for good reasons, but he's keeping it together surprisingly well, all things considered."

"Good to know." said Tyroth, who then turned to his team. "Alright, as we said, most of us will be sharing rooms during our stay here. So Jack, you, James, Percy and Sharky take the first guest room, while Sarah, Heather, Kate and Amber take the second. I think the kids can share rooms with Pandora and Kemeko, so that they have some company, while Sephie and me will be in our usual room."

"Right on, boss." said Sharky, and everyone started heading off to the various rooms to unpack.

"You got quite the hand with them, Tyroth." said Donatello, seeing how well the others behaved, Percy especially.

"They ain't that bad, but I admit that they can become a handful from time to time. But in the case of an emergency, they really show just how dependable they actually are."

"We'd better help the kids to set up too, especially if Pandora and Kemeko needs some more comfort." said Sephie. "We'll just be a few minutes."

"Thanks, we'll be waiting for you guys in the dojo, like I said earlier."

* * *

In Kemeko's room, the girl sat on her bed with her adoptive father next to her, a comforting hand on her shoulder. Just like Pandora, she had been very saddened by the fact that Monalisa had left them, even though she was her aunt and not her mother, she was still the closest thing to a mother figure that the Japanese girl had.

Suddenly, there was a soft knocking on the door, which then opened to reveal five other reptilian mutants.

"Hey, Leo. Thought we'd find you here." Tyroth said as he and the others entered.

"Tyroth. Sephie. Sonia. Loki. Freya. Didn't think all of you would come."

"Well, we thought that the kids could use some company." said Sephie, as she, Tyroth and Sonia, set up the Geckolings' sleeping-bags and stuff in Kemeko's room.

"Hi, Kimmiko." Loki said, as he and his sister hurried up to Kemeko and gave her a hug each. "We're going to have a sleepover here with you, so you don't have to be alone."

"And our Mum and Dad will help everyone to help Auntie Mona." said Freya.

The small human was surprised to see her cousins, but she didn't complain, and the twins were trying their best to cheer her up, making ideas for all the fun they were going to have, and it did make Kemeko feel a little better, as well as bringing a warm smile to Leonardo's face.

* * *

Over in Pandora's room, the young mutant was still sobbing into her father's chest, and he still felled the odd tears himself, when someone knocked on the door.

"Hello? Pandora? Uncle Raph?" Sonia asked softly as she carefully opened the door and stepped inside the room.

"Sonia? What are you doing here?" Raphael asked, quickly wiping his tears, and Pandora looked up from her father's chest.

"Uncle Donnie called and asked Uncle Tyroth and the other Knights to come here." Sonia explained as she put down her bags on the floor. "And both I and the Geckolings came along to help, so I was planning on having a sleepover here with Pandora. I hope that's okay?"

"Did you hear that, sweetie? Your cousin is going to sleep over with you." Raphael said with a weak smile. "That'll be fun, right?"

"I suppose…" Pandora said weakly.

Sonia walked up to Pandora, gently stroking her hair.

"Don't worry, Pandora." she said. "Uncle Tyroth and the others will help your mother, I promise."

"They will?"

"Cross my heart! Uncle Tyroth can do anything! And I will keep you company until then!"

"Thank you, Sonia."

* * *

As everyone got settled in, Kate decided that she had something more important to do, and looked for a certain turtle.

"Mikey?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen, finding the orange-masked turtle sitting by the table. "Mikey…"

"Oh, hey Kate…" Michelangelo said, his voice sad and broken.

"Mikey… how are you?" she said, walking up him.

"Good… I suppose…"

"Is that really true?" she said, kneeling so that she was at eye-level with him. "You know that you can confide in me with anything."

Looking into his eyes, Kate could see past the facade that he tried to keep up, and she saw just how broken he really was, just as he had been after the betrayal of Izo Ren under the guise of Shari, and he knew that she could see the truth.

Not able to hold it in any longer, Michelangelo started crying. The loss of his sister had taken a hefty toll on the youngest turtle, and he was deeply hurt by it all, especially how harsh Monalisa had been towards them when last they saw her.

Seeing Michelangelo like that, Kate carefully placed her hands behind his head, and pulled him into a hug, letting him cry against her chest as she held him close, trying her best to comfort him.

"Mona can't be gone…" he sobbed. "She can't… she just can't… I miss her so much…"

"Shh. It'll be okay, baby." she said softly, stroking his head ever so gently. "I'm here now, and I'll stay by your side throughout this."

"Thank you, Katie… I'm sorry that I missed our Skype date…"

"Oh, you silly boy, you're just too sweet." she said, placing a small kiss on his forehead. "Don't worry about that, everything will be alright."

 **Ho boy, this was one heck of a chapter. Not sure why I included a lemon in it, but it felt like it fitted, and it does show that Mona will do anything to reach her goals.  
And I don't know about you guys, but if I had to be infested, that's the way I'd want to go, just saying.**

 **On the other end of the spectrum, the Knights are in New York now, and they are doing their best to help the others through this hard time. And while there were some sad parts, there were also quite sweet.**

 **See you next chapter. Whenever that might be.**

 **Also, the Izo Ren/Shari incident is from my story 'Mikey's Date', just for reference.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 **What Little We Know**

It took about ten minutes, but eventually the Knights were all settled in for a long visit, though no-one knew just how long, but that had to take second place to their current problem, of which they still knew next to nothing. Hopefully, they would get some answers once they all had gathered in the dojo.

Leaving Pandora together with the other kids in the playroom, Raphael felt his heart ache. They were both still very hurt, and needed each others' support, but he had to attend the meeting, as it was about how they would save his mate. At least he knew that Pandora was in safe hands.

"Don't worry, Uncle Raph." Sonia said as he had just hugged his daughter. "I will take care of them all, just like before. You can trust me."

"I know I can, kiddo." Raphael said with a weak smile, ruffling the chameleon's hair slightly. "Just look at you. I remember when you were just a shy little squirt, and now you're almost all grown up. I bet everyone is so proud of you."

"You bet!" Sonia half cheered, smiling widely.

"I'd better get going then." Raphael said with a sigh, looking at Pandora. "Be nice to your cousin, okay Pandora?"

"Okay, daddy…"

* * *

"Alright, so we're all here now. Give us the scoop." said Sharky.

"Yeah, what's happened to Mona? Is she alright?" Sephie asked.

"She seemed healthy when we last saw her, but I don't honestly know if we even understand her any more." said Leonardo.

"Start from the beginning then, and we'll see if we can help you." said Tyroth.

"Alright." Leonardo said, taking a deep breath to gather his thoughts. "Earlier tonight, we went to investigate one of the junkyards, as there had been mysterious cases of thing disappearing from many of them. And we found out just by whom. Garbageman."

"A garbage-man? Really?" said Percy.

"Not a garbage-man, **the** Garbageman. An old enemy of ours." Donatello clarified. "Beyond sickly obese, a technical genius, classical evil genius stereotype. We thought that he had died after or last encounter, but we were wrong, and we got captured by his men, and brought to his new base of operation, an underground city that he had built. Junktopia."

"I remember you telling me about him." said Amber. "But Junktopia? For real?"

"His words, not ours." Leonardo continued. "But that's beside the point. He planned on dissecting us, and almost succeeded with Mikey."

"Yeah, that was far too close for me." said Michelangelo, shuddering while Kate held him close to comfort him.

"Anyway, he also had some strange creature in that lab, one that they had already dissected, and all of a sudden, it came back to life, killed the guard and scientists, and freed us. The next thing we knew, a small army of them were attacking the place, slaughtering Garbageman's troops. And what happened next, we still don't fully understand…"

"That sounds ominous…" said Heather, chewing her lip a bit as she dreaded what might come.

"Mona was… seriously injured, in a fight between one of Garbageman's mechs and one of these creatures, she lost most of her arm… only for her to get back up and somehow destroy the machine with some invisible force, and then release some form of orange light that not only caused her arm to regrow in seconds, but also healed the creature as well. I still don't know how any of that is possible, but before she marched away to take the fight to Garbageman, she looked at us, and her eyes glowed orange, almost like how Tyroth's eyes glow red some times."

"So you're thinking she might have gained magical powers similar to mine?" Tyroth asked.

"It is a possibility, but we don't know how." said Donatello. "But I think that it is related to these creatures, as they seemed to follow her orders."

"Wait, what?! Back up! Take that part again!" said Jack.

"Donnie's right." Raphael cut in. "Somehow, she was able to control those monster bugs, and then she just left us! She…!" Raphael paused and took a few deep breathes, feeling that his grief was taking over again. "Sorry… I'm just…"

"It's okay, Raph. We understand that this must be indescribably hard on you." said Sarah.

"We did have some time to talk to Mona, before… before she decided to leave us." Leonardo continued. "After the battle, she lead us through the caverns to another larger one, where many giant, organic, living structures grew from a carpet of some form of mold-like flesh. That was apparently the nest of these creatures, Zergs as she called them, and she had been breeding them there for the last month or so."

"Breeding them? How could she even do that?" asked Kate. "And just how could she control them?"

"Good questions, and sadly we don't really have the answers for them either." said Donatello. "But, if what she said is true, then she was able to grow one Zerg inside her own body, which then allegedly grew into some form of central structure, allowing her to breed even more. It felt like the structures were more like giant organs than actual buildings, or maybe both. As to how she control the Zerg, she claimed that she did it telepathically, through a hivemind she said."

"This sounds like the beginning to a really horrifying sci-fi movie, and I've watched a whole Alien and Predator marathon." said Sharky.

"I agree with you on that, Sharky. But it got worse." Donatello continued. "When I suggested that I might be able to reverse whatever had happened to her, Mona got furious."

"Incredibly so." said Leonardo. "I'm not sure that she was entirely herself at the time, with how she snapped at us. She just wouldn't listen to reason, and told us to leave her."

"And you did?" Sephie asked.

"My sons did not have a choice in the matter." said Splinter. "They told me how these Zerg escorted them back to the sewers, all at Monalisa's command."

"But why would she choose to stay with those… those things, and not come back with you guys?" asked Amber. "What is it she hope to gain?"

"Like we said, we don't think that she's entirely herself any longer." said Leonardo. "If she truly have this telepathic hivemind, then I fear that it might be influencing her a lot more than she thinks. As to what she wants, she made that pretty clear."

"Yeah, she wants to eradicate the Foot, Purple Dragons, and pretty much any other criminal in the city." said Raphael. "Possibly even beyond the city as well. And after seeing how the Zerg tore through everything in their path, she might actually be able to do it."

"What's the harm in that?" asked Percy. "I mean, most of us here are out every night, trying to get rid of criminal goons and the lot, so why not let her?"

"I hate to admit it, but the locust has a point." said Kate.

"The problem is that if she was to go through with it," April began. "it would spread panic among the general population. They wouldn't see these Zergs doing good, they would only see monsters attacking humans."

"Same reason that we stay hidden." said Tyroth. "People just don't understand that we're trying to help them. And I dread to think what would happen if the military was called in. The same almost happened when we fought the demons years ago."

"And that's not all." said Donatello. "Mona's current state of mind might be unstable, and who knows what she might consider acceptable to protect us. If this spirals out of hand, many innocents could get badly hurt or killed."

"So, why are we here then? I still fail to see why you guys would need us?" said Jack.

"Truth be told, we were more in need of friends and support, but if it comes around to it, we might need your help fighting these things." said Leonardo. "And we're also hoping that maybe Mona will listen to some of you, Tyroth or Sephie especially."

"Then there's the risk that those things are demons." said Casey. "From how the guys have described them, they sure sound like they could be."

"Though that is still uncertain." Donatello cut in. "I admit, the did look rather demonic, compared to those we've faced before, but I'm not convinced they actually are demons."

"That explains the fighters, but you haven't yet mentioned why you wanted me here." said James.

"It's my hope that we can undo whatever that's happened to Mona," said Donatello. "and to make sure that we have the best chances possible, we need the brightest minds possible, and being a professional doctor, you fit that description quite well. I'm sure that if you, I and April work together, we should be able to solve this."

"I understand, and I will do my best."

"If there's nothing else, how about we decide what we're actually gonna do?" said Sharky.

"There's still a lot we don't know about all this. Can you find your way back to this nest?" said Tyroth, to which Leonardo nodded. Tyroth was silent as he thought for a few moments. "Then I think that our first course of action would be that I go and talk with Mona, alone."

"Alone? Is that really wise, Tyroth?" Splinter asked.

"Yeah, it sounds like asking for trouble." said Sarah.

"It probably is, but if Mona might be unstable, bringing the entire troop would only risk of upsetting her, one way or another, so I'm betting on that she will feel safer if it's just one visitor. Besides, if there are demons or magic at play here, I should be able to pick up on it."

"Sounds risky, but also like a good start. And you are the most capable one of us." said Leonardo. "I'll show you all on the maps where the path to Mona's nest is."

* * *

A while later, Tyroth emerged through the tunnel from the sewers and laid his eyes on Monalisa's hive cluster, almost recoiling a bit at the mere sight of it. Taking a few minutes to study it from afar, he could see that the creep carpet covered most of the cave floor, and even stretched down another tunnel at the far end, all while the drones work tirelessly with bringing things to the centre of the colony. A few even passed him from the sewers, carrying hideously damaged corpses of Purple Dragons. He winced slightly when he saw the grievous wounds, yet let his eyes follow the drones into the centre of the place, just like the others.

Walking up t the very edge of the flesh carpet, he stopped a foot away and knelt down to examine it closer. It writhed and pulsated every now and then in various places, and had a faint scent of raw meat, barely noticeable, even to him, but also something else that was completely alien to the Dragon. He was highly sceptical about treading this living surface, but the turtles had evidently done so without any issues.

Stepping onto the creep, he felt that it was moist and cool to the touch, yet the moisture seemed to stay on the substance rather than sticking to the soles of his feet. Walking among the many living structures, he noticed that he was being watched by several creatures, zerglings to be precise, much like an animal that kept an intruder under watch in case it would take one step too many.

During the short, but casual walk, Tyroth let all his senses be on edge, scanning his surroundings for any form of clues. One thing was for certain, however, and that was that the creatures were not demonic, or at least not like those he had faced before. When he first encountered a demon, he instinctively knew that it was just that, and after confirming that they were actually demons, he felt the same thing every time he saw one, though it wasn't as intense as the first time.

Yet the Zerg gave him no such feelings, nor could he pick up any form of magic in the near vicinity, other than the normal ambient magic of the world itself. But he did have one feeling, a strong feeling of unease. The Zerg were dangerous, that much he could tell simply by being near them, but the question was; just how dangerous?

As he rounded another bio-structure, he caught sight of Monalisa further ahead. She was standing with her back against him, seemingly completely unaware of his presences, but that was not the case.

"That's far enough, Tyroth." she said without even turning around, and a few zerglings stepped forward to block the Dragon's path.

"So you knew that I was here?" Tyroth said, keeping his position as to not agitate the Zerg or Monalisa. "I take it that this whole hivemind thing is real then."

"Yes. I knew that you were here as soon as one of my Zerg saw you." Monalisa explained, finally turning around, showing all the bloodstains on her clothes as she walked towards Tyroth, stopping five feet from him. "Why are you here? Did the turtles ask you to bring me back so they can 'cure' me?"

"That's what they want, and I don't blame them, they do worry about you, possibly with good reason. But I also want to hear your side of this."

"Do you now? Hmm, well I'll tell you the same as I told them. Great powers awoke inside me several weeks ago, and with those I created all this, my own Zerg brood, and I plan to use it to kill the Foot, and anyone else that threatens my family."

"I understand your reasons, though I'm not sure about your… method yet. You said that you created all this on your own, but how? Where do you get the… inspiration for these things from?"

"They are all in the hivemind, inside what I can best describe as a mental library, there I can find all kinds of 'blueprints' for new creatures, structures and adaptations, and once my swarm meets the requirements, new sequences become available."

"So they're not your own design then?"

"No, not all of them at least. I have a few things that I've made myself. The Zerg are incredible adaptable and malleable, so I can easily make whatever I might need, but for now, what they have available is more than enough for my goals."

"And then what?" Tyroth asked. "Let's say that you manage to kill all of the Foot, what then?"

"Then I continue with the Purple Dragons, and after them, all other criminals in the city. And once that's done, maybe I'll expand to nearby cities, clean them up as well. Give me enough time, and I might even go so far as wipe out crime in all of the state, possibly all states even."

"An admirable goal, I have to admit that much. But what will become of these… Zerg if all criminals would vanish from the face of the earth?"

"They'll remain, protecting the people while keeping watch."

"And you think people will accept that? The majority would fear us mutants just for how we look, you can't expect them to treat the Zerg any better. Eventually, someone will make a bad decision, and attack the Zerg, regardless of their purpose. What's to stop the Zerg from retaliating?"

"I am. All the Zerg obey me, it's written into their DNA, it vibrates throughout the hivemind."

"And you are certain that you truly are in control? Without hesitation?"

"Yes." Monalisa said instantly, to which Tyroth stood silent for a few moments, thinking.

"Do you fear your own powers, Mona?" he asked after a while.

"What? Fear them? No, why should I?"

"Because all great powers should be feared and respected, especially by those that wield them. I fear my own powers, and temper them with wisdom that has taken me quite some time to gain. Without that, I would most likely get drunk on the power they give me, developed a god complex, or let the powers control me."

"And you think that I have fallen for that?" Monalisa asked, her voice filled with growing annoyance. "The turtles wanted to take these powers away from me! And now you come here speaking as if you don't think that I can handle them! Well I can!"

"You say that, but I can't help but wonder." Tyroth said, remaining calm. "Do you remember when we were in Skyrim? The first night after we had managed to escape the underground, you asked me what it was like to have great powers, and I said that you would understand what I just said, and the burden that comes with it, if you ever got powers of your own."

"I do remember that, and I do understand. It is an incredible feeling!"

"Yes, yes it is, but no, you don't understand. Not at all."

"You dare try to lecture me?! What gives you the right to tell me what to do with my power?!" Monalisa snapped, her eyes flaring with orange light.

"Several years of experience with great powers and their burden. As well as wisdom imparted by my spiritual Dragon ancestors."

"And here I thought you were different, that you of all people would understand me, but you're just like the others! Afraid of my powers, afraid that I won't need any of you! Well I don't any more, and you're not welcome here any longer! Leave my hive cluster!" Monalisa half yelled.

"I will go, but first I have one more question for you." Tyroth said, taking a few steps closer and locking eyes with Monalisa. "What would Pandora think if she saw you now?"

For just a second, Monalisa's face fell at the realisation, and her eyes lost their glow, turning blue again, and a few tears formed. Then her expression hardened, her eyes turned orange and glowed as she glared at the Dragon.

"Leave. Now." she snarled, her eyes never leaving Tyroth.

Doing as asked, Tyroth turned around and began the walk back to the lair, while Monalisa returned to her work managing her swarm.

As he walked, he went over everything that he had learned for this encounter. He had gotten a few questions answered, but many more still remained, and even more had surfaced. He and the others would have a lot to think about.

* * *

Once Tyroth had left the cavern, Monalisa allowed her guard to falter a bit and the tears to fall. It had only been a few hours, but she already missed her beloved daughter greatly, and as much as she hated to admit it, Tyroth did have a point. Just what would Pandora think of her if she could see her now? What was she thinking about her just at that moment?

Closing her eyes, Monalisa focused on the parasite she had implanted in her daughter, and before long, she could experience everything that Pandora was experiencing. There was a lot of sadness in the little mutant, even though there was happiness as well, happiness from playing with her cousins.

At that time, they were all playing with their stuffed animal toys, Panda bear, Ninja bear, Geisha bear, Cuddles, a red dragon and another teddy bear. It kept Pandora busy, so that she wouldn't think too much about her missing mother, and the promise from the adults that they would bring her back was what kept the child going, what kept her hoping.

Monalisa smiled and a few tears fell. She was happy that her daughter was safe, even though she couldn't be there for her, which saddened Monalisa greatly. But what she was doing was just too important, and she still had a lot to do before she could take it to the next phase.

" _Dana, explore the ruins of Junktopia, and identify anything that might be of use to us._ _Then have the drones scrap everything else,_ _and use one drone to create a second hatchery._ _"_ she said telepathically to her second in command.

" _At once, my Queen."_

With that underway, Monalisa turned her attention to her hatchery, and gave it a mental order. Shortly after, the entire bio-structure encased itself in a giant cocoon, similar to the one that it had hatched from, and inside of it, the hatchery started to grow and evolve, all in preparation for the next stage of evolution for Monalisa's swarm, and that would bring her one of the most deadly strains she could have imagined, the Hydralisk.

 **Yeah, so... not a lot actually happened this time, the turtles just filled in the Knights on what had happened, which we already knew.**

 **Then again, we did have a sort of confrontation between Tyroth and Mona and it does seem like he's learned something, but what?**

 **And at the same time, Mona keeps on growing her swarm, and she has a new strain in her sights, the Hydralisk. Those who know their Starcraft knows what's up with those.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 **Piercing the Veil**

As per her queen's instructions, Dana, the Maiden of the Swarm walked up to the tunnel towards the ruins of Junktopia, her clawed feet traversing the creep carpet with ease and speed. When she reached then end of the creep, right before the entrance of the tunnel, she knelt down and placed her palm onto the fleshy surface. Worm-like tentacles shot out from her palm and dug into the creep, where they fed upon the substance and grew and morphed, until they a few seconds later had formed a so called Creep Tumour. Roughly the size of a manhole-cover, this small organism resided just underneath the surface of the creep, and stimulated it to grow even more, spreading out from the tumour just like it had from the hatchery, and down into the tunnel.

It didn't take more than a few minutes before the creep stopped growing, it now reaching halfway through the tunnel, and at that point, Dana sent a mental order to the creep tumour, and a serpentine creature was released from it, swimming through the creep down the tunnel, until it reached the edge where it coiled itself up and morphed into another tumour, which made the creep grow again. At the order of a command organism, such as Mona or Dana, the new tumour would do the same, and then the next one, and the next one, and so on, until the creep had covered all the ground the swarm needed, for that moment. While each tumour could only do so once, that was still all that was needed to be able to cover an entire world given enough time.

As Dana walked down the tunnel to further inspect her work with her own eyes, she received a message from Monalisa.

" _Dana, explore the ruins of Junktopia, and identify anything that might be of use to us._ _Then have the drones scrap everything else,_ _and use one drone to create a second hatchery._ _"_ she said telepathically to her second in command.

" _At once, my Queen."_

Keeping a mental 'eye' on the creep tumour, she would continue to have it spawn when it was ready as she hurried over to the ruins.

* * *

Aided by a couple of zerglings, it still took Dana the better part of an hour to search through the ruined city, and she still had very little to show for it. Most of the buildings that weren't used for living in, were filled with garbage, junk, scrap metal, tools, weapons and machines of various kinds, none of which were of any use to the Zerg, other than as resources.

What was of interest, however, where the greenhouses that had supplied the city. While the plants that grew in them might have seemed very uninteresting to most, to the Zerg they were possible carriers of useful DNA, and down there, they could have all manner of adaptations and mutations that could prove beneficial after enough work by the evolution chamber.

In the old labs, Dana also found various kinds of chemicals, many marked as bio hazards, that would work well as accelerant, and possibly even to trigger new mutations in Zerg that would be exposed to them. Another find that was of even greater importance was the map over the tunnels, and which points that they connected to on the surface.

With that, and the fact that the elevators all had their own power supply, Monalisa's brood would be able to raid numerous scrap yards and garbage-dumps all over New York, greatly increasing the resources at their disposal.

Having the drones gather the plants and chemicals, and relaying all the information to her Queen, Dana waited for her new orders.

" _Those are good finds. Good work, Dana."_

" _Thank you, my Queen."_

" _There is nothing else that would be of use to us. Have the drones tear it all apart."_

" _I will see to it, my Queen. A new hatchery will be morphed shortly."_

" _Perfect. Our enemies are plentiful, and we will need many Zerg to hunt them all down."_

" _We will not fail you, my Queen."_

" _I know you won't. Make sure that everything proceeds as planned, I will be heading to the surface."_

" _The surface? Are you certain that is wise, my Queen?"_

" _I'm used to hiding from public eyes, I will be fine, and I need some air to help clear my head."_

" _Very well, my Queen. I'll maintain the swarm in your absence."_

As Monalisa headed to the exit into the sewers, she looked back at her hive cluster and saw the cocoon around the hatchery burst open, revealing the new form it had taken, that of a Lair. It was at least teen feet taller, and fifteen feet wider at the base, with the five spikes being more jagged, and having more, thicker carapace with more spikes, while each of the orifices had a tentacle growth that would help pull in and move whatever was fed to them.

Aside from the slightly different look and a higher level of durability, there was nothing really new about the lair, as it produced the same amount of larvas as a hatchery, but it did unlock several new bio-structures for the swarm to use.

Creating a lair cost a good deal of resources, and while the Zerg would be able to create one directly from a drone, skipping the hatchery all together, it was related to how big of a threat the Zerg would face, with the hatchery being the base, and the higher tiers of it being morphed upon the need for more powerful strains. If they weren't needed, the swarm would save on the resources and not create a lair, but they could quickly morph one should the need arise.

With the lair done, Monalisa gave one last order before heading to the surface, and a drone moved to an empty spot on the creep, where it formed a cocoon around itself.

* * *

Back in the lair, Tyroth had just returned and sought out the others to reveal what he had learned.

"Thank goodness you're back." Sephie said as she and the others saw him enter the dojo. "I was starting to get worried."

"Did you find out anything?" Raphael asked.

"Yeah, do you know how to get our sister back?" said Michelangelo, all while Kate kept an arm around his shoulders.

"My sons, please, calm yourselves." Splinter said. He knew that the brothers were anxious to get Monalisa back, but they needed to give Tyroth the chance to speak.

Taking a quick glance around, Tyroth saw that the children were nowhere to be seen. They were most likely still in the play room, under the watchful eyes of Sonia, and that was a relief for the adults at the time, and allowed Tyroth to tell everyone what he knew.

"Well, for starters, all of these Zerg are indeed connected through the hivemind, and seem to share input. What one find, all are aware of." Tyroth began.

"So she can actually see us through the eyes of the Zerg? That's just creepy!" said Percy.

"This hivemind is just sounding worse the more we learn about it." said April.

"It gets worse. From what she told me, all but a few kinds of Zerg were of Mona's making, all the others were based on some kind of 'blueprints' inside the hivemind, and as her nest grows, more become available."

"But, if she didn't make them herself, that means they had to exist prior to her gaining these powers of hers." said Donatello.

"That's what I thought too. But whatever the Zerg are, they aren't demons, nor is there magic involved. Couldn't sense either as I was there."

"So, then the Zerg must be aliens, right?" said Sarah.

"Or… extra-dimensional… That's it!" Donatello exclaimed. "I think I know how all this happened!"

"You do?" said Leonardo.

"Well, it's a theory at least. But you remember when we found those strange objects that we found almost a month ago?"

"You mean those radioactive things?" asked Michelangelo, thinking back. "The robot finger, the gold metal, the crystal and the claw?"

"Exactly!"

"Back up a bit, what're you talking about now?" asked Sharky.

"Like I said, it was a little more than a month ago, and our security systems picked up a flash of light, and when we investigated it, we found several objects of unknown nature, one of which was a claw. That claw has a striking resemblance to the claws of the most numerous of the Zerg we've seen, the same kind that Garbageman had dissected before he captured us. I think that the Zerg arrived here through this light, which I theorised was some form of teleportation, and possibly an accidental one or a test."

"If that's true then at least we know how they got here." said Sephie.

"Yes, but how did Mona gain control over them?" asked Heather, and the turtles all thought for a moment, trying to find an answer.

"The slug!" Raphael exclaimed all of a sudden, making all the others jump a bit. "When we checked out that light, a slug fell down the back of Mona's top! What if that was a Zerg too!?"

"That could very well have been the case, and since she said that she grew the first larva inside of her, I'm almost willing to bet that it either planted an egg inside her, or dug into her flesh and maybe merged with her somehow…"

"Maybe through her brain." said James. "I remember seeing a nature show about a form of fungus that could infect the brains of ants, and take control of them so that they could help spread the spores."

"Ugh… could you two keep those details to yourself…" Casey complained. "I never could stomach the Alien movies… too gross for me."

"I hope that's not what happened to her, but you guys did say that she didn't seem like herself." said Amber.

"She is herself," Tyroth cut in. "or at least part of her is. I could see it in her eyes. The Mona that we all know and love is in there, but she's… partially suppressed, for a lack of better words."

"You think that's the hivemind controlling her?" Sephie asked.

"Maybe. She said that she was in total control of the Zerg, that their loyalty was written into their DNA, but honestly, I'm not sure if that's true, or if she has been made to think so."

"Regardless, she's at the very least influenced by it somehow." said Leonardo, to which Tyroth nodded.

"I firmly believe that we can save Mona, if we can only reach her true self, underneath this new side of her. There are just far too many unknowns left with this whole situation, especially regarding the origin of the Zerg."

"If only we could learn more about them somehow." said Kate.

"We just might… I think I got an idea." said Leonardo, and everyone looked at him. "I've used a special form of meditation in the past that has allowed me to be able to see things, such as the attack on Mona, and how to locate my family when they were in danger."

To most of the Knights, this was completely new, but the rest had knew of it since before, yet only Tyroth had a knowing look on his face, as if he knew what Leonardo was thinking.

"I know this technique, and it is an advanced one." said Splinter. "You intend to use it to gain a vision about these Zerg. But can even it allow you to gleam into another dimension?"

"I'm not a hundred percent certain, sensei, but I believe that it will, with a little help." Leonardo said, looking at Tyroth. "After all, we've already done something similar, Tyroth and I."

"You have? How? When?" Donatello asked, being a little extra curious about a possible way to investigate other dimensions.

"A couple of years ago, when we went to Mutopia with Kemeko for the first time, I was plagued by doubt and fear for her future, that I had let Karai down." Leonardo explained. "But Tyroth, being the great friend he is, picked up on that and came with a solution. Using his magic to strengthen my meditation technique, I was actually able to reach into the afterlife, and speak to Karai herself."

"Say what?!" the others exclaimed.

"You're messing with us, right?" said Percy.

"No, it's the honest truth. I'll explain it in greater detail later, but it did happen, my spirit was able to visit the afterlife, and thus I was able to find the closure I needed to keep on going, to be the father to Kemeko that she deserve."

"You did seem more… empowered the day after, and now I understand why." the old rat said. "I would like to hear more about your experience at a later time."

"I think I know where you're going with this, Leo, and I sure hope that it works." said Tyroth. "Reaching into the afterlife was one thing, but trying to do the same with a different dimension will be a lot harder, if it's even possible."

"I didn't think what we did was possible either, but we still managed."

"Yeah, and I'm still not entirely sure how we managed. My guess would be that your need for Karai's reassuring words was an equally important part of the equation as my magic and your technique. All I'm saying is that we may not have what it takes to do this, but I am still willing to try it, as we won't know until we try."

"My thoughts exactly. Though, we would need to be in the place where this teleportation occurred, and maybe we can pick up on something."

"But that's in the middle of the sewers." said Donatello. "Granted, it's in an old part of it, but the two of you can't just sit around there for who knows how long. You'd be vulnerable if someone were to find you."

"What other choice do they have?" said Amber. "I for one can't see any other options right now. If they need to do this, then we can help them by protecting them during the time it takes."

"Great idea, Amber." said Sarah. "But should all of us go? That feels a little overkill to me."

"Some of you could probably stay here and rest for a bit, take care of each other." said Tyroth. "We do need minimum distractions for this after all."

* * *

A short while later, Tyroth and Leonardo arrived at the location of the supposed teleportation. Accompanying them were Donatello, Sephie, Amber, Sarah and Sharky, as the others had remained behind, for various reasons.

"This is the spot." said Donatello as he pulled out a Geiger counter to double check the area. "And just like with the sample, the radiation has dissipated.

"So how are you two going to do this?" Sharky asked. "Just gonna sit down and think deeply, or what?"

"In a nutshell, yep." Tyroth answered. "And we're trusting that you guys well keep watch over us, quietly."

"Don't worry, big brother." said Amber. "We'll handle this."

"Especially the quiet part, since we left Percy back at the lair." said Sarah.

Sitting down in lotus position, Leonardo took a few breaths to prepare himself for what was to come, and Tyroth sat down opposite to him, doing the same while placing his hands on the turtle's shoulders.

"Sure hope I remember how I did this last time." said Tyroth.

"Yeah, me too." said Leonardo. "Do you think it's possible for you to see what I see? Last time, I was the only one to visit the afterlife, we could use another pair of eyes for this."

"No idea, Fearless, but I'll see what I can do." Tyroth answered, then he turned his attention to their friends. "Unless something really bad happens, don't interfere with this, it's a delicate enough procedure as it is. Should we risk being discovered by anyone, try to lead them away before they get too close."

"Perimeter watch, got it." said Sharky.

"Good luck you two, and be careful." said Sephie, chewing her lip as she worried that something might go horribly wrong.

Closing his eyes, Leonardo relaxed his breathing and emptied his mind, trying to focus on whatever realm of existence had touched their own at that very spot. Tyroth focused as well, synchronising his breathing with Leonardo's, and his mana flared up and coved his body like fire, before spreading to Leonardo as well, covering the turtle in the same way.

For several minutes, the two just sat there, and nothing happened. But just as the thought of giving up was on the verge of entering their minds, they both felt how their very souls seemed to be pulled through an ethereal rift between worlds.

The void beckoned.

 **Mona is advancing her swarm, and with Lair, she's got access to several new zerg, both buildings and units. And at the same time, she's off to the surface, wonder what might happen.**

 **Meanwhile, the team are trying a new approach, through magically infused meditation. Let's hope they haven't bitten off more than they can chew.**

 **Also, the last time they did that, was in Bloodrayne666's story 'A Father's Lament', which they reference to. Do check it out. :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Just a quick note before we start. Most of this chapter will be the telling of the origin of the Zerg, how the original Queen of Blades came to be, and the destiny of the Swarm, and thus may contain spoilers for Starcraft 2.  
Also, some information was slightly contradictory, so I've tried to make sense of it to the best of my abilities, hopefully to your satisfaction.**

 **Chapter 19**

 **Into the Void**

Emptiness.

Nothingness.

An endless void lacking even existence at its most basic level.

Then, an explosion. An explosion of unimaginable scale, and existence comes into being, as a new universe is born.

Everything goes in super speed, the process that takes a billion years is witnessed in mere seconds. Galaxies filled with stars and planets have formed throughout the still young universe, yet, the is no life to found.

Existence is lifeless, sterile.

A ripple in space appears, and through it, giant space crafts emerge, carrying with them the shepherds of life, the Xel'naga.

A God-like species of a nearly immeasurable lifespan, the Xel'naga exists without physical form, but can assume it at will, and they reproduce in the most fascinating way. They choose two species, one with purity of form and one with purity of essence, and carefully nudges their natural evolution in the direction needed that the two will one day meet, and eventually merge into a single species, the next generation of Xel'naga.

It is a process that takes many millenia, and the Xel'naga patiently wait, interfering as little as possible, slumbering in a hidden chamber in deep space while they wait for the chosen species to come together and find them. Once ready, the new generation travels to another universe, one still in its infancy, and begin seeding it with life, and billions of years later, they will choose two species to become the next generation, and the cycle continues, as it has done since before time immemorial, and as it will for eternity.

But one cycle, a powerful Xel'naga by the name of Amon resented the very notion of what they did, and sought to end the Infinite Cycle, and reshape the universe according to his own vision. Gathering followers, they began modifying the ongoing uplifting of both species, causing the first one, the Protoss, to rebel and develop along a different path, while the second was chosen to become a weapon of war.

By the time the other Xel'naga awoke and discovered this, they found themselves in war with Amon's forces, and with the inclusion of the second specie, the Xel'naga were slaughtered and consumed. But it had cost Amon greatly, as he had also been injured, to the point that he was incapable of taking physical form on his own, yet his influence over his new weapon remained, and they carried out his new plans.

The second specie was a tiny worm, found on the world of Zerus, a hostile planet of ash near the core of the Milky Way, filled with violent predators and powerful prey. But these tiny creatures, insignificant as they might have seen, possessed a unique ability, by consuming another creature, they stole their essence and grew stronger.

They were the original Zerg.

Requiring very little aid, and in very little time, the Zerg grew more advanced and diverse, many evolving the ability to burrow into the spines and brains of larger creatures, to take control over their bodies and mutating them to better survive. Within only a few short generations, the Zerg were no longer recognisable as their original form.

Powerful and full of potential, they were all individuals and difficult to control, but Amon found a solution. By manipulating the Zerg DNA, and creating a new form of Zerg, a giant brain that came to known as the Overmind, the Zerg were bound to its will through the Hivemind that followed. Now, the evolution of the Zerg could be controlled by the Overmind itself, as it followed its master's orders, and the Zerg became a unified force of nature that few could resist.

Having assimilated a species capable of surviving in space, the Zerg were no longer confined to their home-world, and with the Overmind's great psionic ability, they were able to warp space, allowing them to travel the stars and spread to other worlds. On every world they visited, they assimilated any species that held abilities, traits and powers that the Zerg wanted, further adapting and improving on them, while all others were consumed, only being useful as biomass for the ever growing swarm.

Even with their master banished to the Void, the Zerg continued his mission, they had no other choice, but the Overmind knew that once they had served their purpose, they would perish at the hands of their creator. Seeking for a way to save its kin, the Overmind began devising a plan, hoping to find a loophole in the control Amon had over them.

And after encountering humans, it found what it had been looking for, as while humans were far from interesting genetically as a species, a small number of them had begun to develop psionic abilities, a rare trait that would prove highly beneficial to the swarm. Capturing one of them, a woman named Sarah Kerrigan, they infested her, slowly mutating, adapting and evolving her into the tool that would deliver the Zerg from their sealed fate, and she was born anew as the Queen of Blades.

Far more free-willed than any other Zerg, save for other command organisms, her now greatly improved psionics allowed her to exist outside Amon's influence, only being aware of it while it had next to no hold over her, though she still followed his commands all the same. But that came to change in the later years, after the Overmind was finally slain, and Kerrigan became the new ruler of the Swarm, she withdrew them all and began to evolve them along a different path, staying away from the other species for years.

And through several strange turn of events, and the discovery of an ancient Xel'naga device, the Swarm once again waged war on the galaxy. Many more strange turns were to come, as during the humans' assault on the Zerg main world of Char, they used the Xel'naga device to wipe out a large number of Zerg, and turned the Queen of Blades back to a mostly human form and mind.

She was still able to control Zerg to a certain extent, as long as no other force was, though they could still be brought back under her sway if they still acknowledged her as their Queen. Seeking revenge against enemies she had had as human, Kerrigan reformed her Swarm and travelled to the origin of the Zerg, Zerus, where she reinfested herself, once again becoming the Queen of Blades, only this time she was far more powerful than she had ever been, and her mind was still her own, and through this, her Swarm was finally freed from Amon's grip, allowing them to seek their own destiny.

And that was to rid the cosmos of Amon, once and for all. After getting her revenge, Kerrigan took her Swarm and joined forces with both old allies and foes, forming an alliance, if a shaky one. Journeying into the Void, a sort of astral plane, the joined forces of Zerg, human and Protoss did battle against the fallen Xel'naga and his shadow manifestations.

A battle where Amon's attacks caused massive damage to his foes, one of which even ripped a hole in the fabric of the void, opening, for only a split second, a hole to another universe, one in a multi-verse where the Xel'naga, Protoss and Zerg never had existed.

At least not before that point.

Remains of the victims of the attack were sucked in, and emerged on the other side, in the sewers of New York, accompanied by a flash of light.

A tiny piece of brain matter from a broodmother landed on top of a pipe in the ceiling, and with just barely enough life left, it sought to survive during its new circumstances, and morphed itself into a small larva, similar to the original form of the Zerg, in an effort to find a host to infest and survive within until it could recover.

And as luck would have it, several fitting hosts arrived shortly, and the larva made its move, infesting one of them.

The victim being Monalisa.

But Monalisa wasn't a simple animal, she was a fully sentient creature with her own personality, and more willpower than the larva. So while she was infested, she remained in control of everything, though her mind was flooded with all it meant to be Zerg so forcibly that it caused her personality to change slightly. Gone were old values such as honour and honesty, suppressed as they were a hindrance to survival, and replaced with ruthless efficiency and a 'the ends justifies the means' attitude.

She was now the Queen of the new brood that she had spawned, and they would obey her will and every command, and if she willed it, the stars would quake in fear of the force that is the Swarm.

* * *

An unknown world, in the past? Or the future? Who is to say.

An alien army had been amassed, five hundred thousand strong and armed to the teeth, waiting for the enemy to come across the hills in the distance.

Reconnaissance reported that the enemy was on the move, and orders were issued in response. Heavy weapons were readied, battle tanks moved into position and artillery adjusted their aims. This would be one hell of a battle, and not all would make it out alive.

Then, the enemy came, the Zerg swarm, moving over the hills. One million zerglings rushed first, followed by the slower roaches and hydralisks, all moving towards the army, which responded by opening fire with everything that could reach the Zerg. First the artilleries, high yield shells raining down on the Zerg and killing them by the hundreds with each explosion. Particle rifle and energy cannons charge up and release their blasts against the enemy, felling even more.

Thousands of Zerg die every second as the army continue to fire upon the invading creatures, but despite their constant barrage of weapons fire, the Zerg kept coming, even as several hundreds of thousands had already perished. When finally the Zerg reached their foes, half of them had died, but they didn't let up, they attacked with claw, fang, acid and spikes, tearing through both alien and machine, and the aliens repaid in kind, guns and cannons still firing.

After several agonising long minutes, the battle was over, and the Zerg lay dead on the ground while the army cheered. They had been reduced to but a tenth of their full strength, but they were still alive, they had defeated the invaders.

An alarm for reconnaissance cut their celebrations short, and shortly after, another force of Zerg came rushing over the hills, just as large as the first one. But as the soldiers watched the Zerg flooding over the hills like a tidal wave, they saw that their numbers didn't diminish, and soon they saw twice as many Zerg as the first time, then five times as many, and ten times, twenty, fifty.

That's when it became painfully clear to them, the Zerg that they had fought at first was nothing more than a scouting force, sent to test the opposition.

More Zerg kept coming, and now they were accompanied by millions of flying Zerg as well, and thousands of gargantuan beasts towered over the ground forces, their massive claws being larger than even the tanks.

Weapons were dropped to the ground as the army loss all will to fight. For all their effort, they had barely even dented the Zergs' numbers. They had no chance.

A powerful presence loomed above the Zerg, covered in shadows was a humanoid female lizard with eyes glowing orange, and her voice boomed over the battlefield as she showed her foes no mercy.

" **I** **am the Swarm. Armies will shatter. Worlds will burn. Vengeance is mine. For I am the Lizard of Blades.** "

Before long, the entire world was covered in creep and Zerg structures, with populations in the trillions and counting, all Zerg.

* * *

Leonardo and Tyroth both awoke from the meditation with a jolt, their hearts beating as if they wanted to bust out of their chests.

"Did… you see what I saw?" Leonardo asked.

"If you saw how the Zerg were created by god-like aliens in another dimension, how they got here, and how Mona might go on a galaxy wide conquest with them, then yes." the dragon answered.

"I was hoping that you had seen something better. This isn't just bad, it's beyond bad, way beyond bad."

"Oh, are you guys done? Did you see anything?" Donatello asked upon seeing that the two had awoken from the meditation.

"We did, and it's big. We'd better gather up the others and head back. Everyone need to know this." said Tyroth, and Leonardo nodded.

"I'll call them right away." said Donatello.

* * *

Monalisa stood on top of a tall building, looking out over New York, her mind drifting as she went over everything that had happened the last few hours, not to mention the last month or so, and how her life had changed drastically. It had only been a few hours since she and the turtles had gone their separate ways, at least for the time being, once she had accomplished her goal, she would return to them, and to her daughter.

Pandora.

She was the whole reason that Monalisa had gone through with everything. She needed to be protected, and the Zerg were the best tools for just that, but Monalisa still wished that the turtles had seen things her way, and that they could still be together, but they didn't understand her, how could they? Not even Tyroth understood her, and in the terms of power, he was the closest to her.

'Once I'm done, they'll see just how wrong they were about the Zerg, about me, then everything will be fine again.' she thought to herself, her eyes still wandering over the cityscape around her.

But she wasn't the only one out and about in the early hours before dawn, a squad of Foot ninja had spotted her as she stood out in the open, and they were under strict orders to capture her at any cost.

"There she is, and all alone too." one ninja whispered.

"What luck! If we capture her, we might just get rewarded by master Shredder!" said another one.

"Hold on, don't you think it's a bit strange that it's just the whore and no one else of the freaks? I've got a bad feeling about this." said a third.

"Don't sweat it. Doc Arden made sure we're well prepared, gave us a whole bunch of the sedatives he designed for the dragon years ago." said a fourth.

"I remember those, they're some strong shit. I saw one of the scientists accidentally prick himself on one of the darts, and he was out for two days." said a fifth.

"Okay everyone, ready your blowpipes, we move in and flank her from both sides. It will only take one of these darts, but she is very quick, so don't let up if we miss." said a sixth.

With quick and silent steps and jumps, the dozen or so ninja made their way to better positions, keeping Monalisa in their aim. Most kept to neighbouring rooftops, but a few made it to the one Monalisa stood on, and without a sound, one of them fired his dart at the Lizard Lady, hitting her behind.

Monalisa let out a yelp of pain, and instinctively reached for what had stung her, expecting an insect of some kind, but as soon as she felt the metal in her hand, pulling out the dart, she turned around to face the foes that were behind her, spotting all the ninja.

The ninja on the other hand were very confused to why she was still standing, by all accounts she should have been unconscious on the floor after that dart. But they didn't let that stop them, and kept firing more darts at Monalisa before she had the chance to properly react.

While most of the darts missed as the mutant jumped to the side to avoid them, some still found their target, hitting her in the arm, the breast and the tail, and she could feel how she started to get sluggish, finally understanding what the ninja were doing.

Lashing out to retaliate, she shot off a Kinetic Blast, which found its mark on one of the ninja, the force literally splattering the hapless ninja across the wall of the building behind him, leaving little more than blood as remains.

"WHAT THE HOLY FUCK?!" one ninja cried out in horror and confusion, but before he or the others could do anything else, Monalisa attacked again, striking two more ninja with her blasts, and repeating the process with them.

But by then, the ninja recovered their wits and started shooting more and more darts at Monalisa, and she wasn't quick enough to dodge them all, getting hit increasingly more times, and her vision started to turn to black while her legs began to buckle. She threw another Kinetic Blast, but missed her targets completely, and the psionic attack instead hit a water tank at the edge of the roof, crushing it like a grape and spilling its contents all over the roof and below.

Finally, despite her struggle, Monalisa collapsed and fell unconscious as the sedatives coursed through her systems. Carefully, the remaining ninja gathered around her and quickly jabbed more darts into her, just to be safe.

"Shit. Just… just shit. What happened?" one asked, looking at the splattered blood that used to be his comrades.

"I don't know." said another, also looking at the 'remains'. "But I don't think Jimmy will want his five bucks back."

"Shut up, you two! And help us get this bitch back to HQ, before she wakes up and do the same to us!" said a third, and the ninja quickly left the area, with their new prisoner.

 **Leo and Tyroth did it, they saw the whole story about the Zerg, and possibly the future, but was it 'a' future or 'the' future? That might just rest on their shoulders.**

 **All the while, Monalisa got herself captured by the Foot, again. Though this time, they had to bring her down the same way that they brought down Tyroth in 'A Dangerous Captive' by Bloodrayne666, which this is a reference to. Loved that fic, a joy from start to finish, and a gift to me no less.  
Thanks again for that my dear friend! :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 **Out of Bounds**

Once back in the lair, Tyroth and Leonardo explained what they had witnessed through the magically enhanced meditation, and the other adults didn't take the news well.

"They're gods?!" Percy exclaimed. "God-slaying, alien, Gods-to-be bugs?!"

"In a nutshell, yeah." Tyroth answered.

"Bugs were bad enough." said Raphael. "No offence to you two." he quickly added, looking at Heather and Percy.

"None taken, Raph." Heather responded.

"But that 'slug' was the cause of all this, as it infected Mona." said Leonardo.

"And from the sounds of it, it isn't in control of her, but has rather altered her DNA." said James. "Which means that it will be incredibly hard to reverse this, if it is even possible at this point."

"Her mind has still been altered though." said Tyroth. "Whatever kinds of values and morality that would be in the way of survival, such as honour, and possibly part of her rationality, have been completely suppressed."

"But you can fix that, can't you?" Amber asked. "I mean, you did rid my mind of Arden's brainwashing."

"True, but that was different." Tyroth explained. "His work was fabricated, much like a computer program. The magically overcharged taser that I used basically shorted it out, so there's no guarantee that the same would work on Mona. And remember, the Zerg are like a force of nature, focused on surviving anything they encounter by adapting to it. If we were to get Mona back to her old self, but a small fraction of the Zerg mindset still lingers in her mind, it could very well recover and adapt to that treatment."

"And don't forget all those Zerg that she's already created." said Donatello. "If she is separated from them, from this hivemind, there's no telling what they would do. As it is now, at least they are under her control, if they weren't, who knows the damage they could cause."

"We do." said Leonardo, looking at Tyroth who knew what he meant. "We saw not one, but two visions, the one we just told you about, and one where the Zerg overran an entire planet, still lead by Mona."

"We're not sure if it was a vision of the future, or a warning." Tyroth clarified. "But it was far worse than even the demons' attack in ancient times. If the Zerg gain enough momentum, there's practically no way of stopping them."

"Talk about nightmare fuel." said Casey, only to yawn loudly right after. "Man, I'm beat. How late is it anyway?"

"Almost dawn, we've been up all night." said April after looking at a clock.

"Pretty much time for us mutants to hit the hay too." said Sharky.

"But what about Mona? Are we just gonna leave it like this?" said Raphael.

"Don't worry, Raph, we'll figure something out." said Leonardo. "But Sharky is right, it's late for us as well, and after all we've been through tonight, we could do well with some rest as well."

"Leonardo is correct." said Splinter. "It is not a good idea to overexert ourselves, and tomorrow we might be able to see this from a new perspective."

"But… but will Mona be safe?" Michelangelo asked.

"Since she indeed is in control of the Zerg, as long as she's got them nearby she'll be safe from any of our enemies." said Tyroth.

"Guess we'd better get ready then." said Sephie. "How are the kids, by the way?"

"I believe that they fell asleep a little while ago." said Heather.

"Halfway through Peter Pan." Sonia clarified as she came over and joined the adults. "Pandora stayed awake the longest, but she's sleeping too now, just fell asleep. They were all really tired, and I'm pretty tired too."

"Better make sure that they all get into their beds and sleeping-bags then." said Tyroth. "Then it's off to bed for the lot of us as well. Especially you, Sonia. You've must have been working hard taking care of them."

"Don't mention it, Uncle Tyroth. I'm just glad that I can help." the chameleon said with a smile.

"And that you do, sweetheart." said Sephie, to which Sonia blushed with her whole body, turning a bright shade of pink.

* * *

As all agreed to retire for the night, they headed of to their respective sleeping area. April and Casey said their goodbyes and went back to their home, wishing the others good luck while promising to help in any way they could.

The sleeping kids were all gently picked up by their parents and tucked in after getting their pyjamas on.

After that, everyone went to their rooms, or the ones allocated to them, with one exception. As Michelangelo walked to his room, Kate caught up to him.

"Hey, Mikey, wait up." she said.

"Kate? What's up? Aren't you going to sleep with the other girls?"

"Not exactly." the viper said with a faint blush. "You see, I unpacked my stuff in your room instead."

"Huh? In my room?"

"Yeah… I thought that I would keep you company, in case you need it, and I did say that I would stay by your side throughout this."

"Thanks, babe." Michelangelo said with a wide smile.

He had been so broken over Monalisa leaving them, and had basically only held it together for Pandora's sake, but after Kate had arrived, he had been able to get a lot off of his chest by confiding in her, and while he was still hurt over it all, he felt much better with his dear girlfriend by his side, feeling so much safer and comfortable.

With both smiles on their faces and blushes on their cheeks, the two joined hands as they entered Michelangelo's room and closed the door, locking it behind them.

* * *

Some time later, Monalisa awoke to an all too familiar sight, and experience, that of the Foot's laboratory, and with her strapped down on a medical table. Though, unlike the other times, she now had multiple tubes leading to straps around her neck and arms, through which a continuous stream of strong sedatives were being pumped into her.

"Ugh… twice in one day? Really? How humiliating." she muttered, the looked around, seeing a few Foot scientists working on various computers and equipment.

"Alright, Arden, where are you?" she asked out aloud. "I know you're never far away when you got something to work on."

"You know me too well, Monalisa." she soon heard Arden's voice say from outside her vision, where he too was working on something. "Yet, I can't say the same, not with how your DNA have changed since last we met, and even more still since the last sample our ninja acquired. And after hearing the ninja's reports, it seems that you've gained some new powers. I cannot help but wonder how this has happened, and you will tell me all that I need to know."

"You won't get a word out of me, Arden." Monalisa replied coldly. "I'm not afraid of you any longer."

"Is that so?" Arden asked, still remaining at his computer. "Well, we'll see if we can't change that. A combination of my fear-serum, pain-serum and truth-serum should loosen your tongue. Or do you believe that you're as strong as your dragon friend?"

"He's not my friend any more, and I am stronger than him now."

"So the two of you have had a falling out, have you? Well, no matter, I have work to do on you, and questions to ask." Arden said, smirking greatly as he turned to one of the other scientists. "Inject her with the truth-serum, then the pain-serum, that should make her speak."

"Hai, sir." the scientist said, and prepared a pair of syringes with the serums in question.

But as he approached Monalisa, she glared murderously at him, and before anyone knew what happened, his body was torn in two, with the half above his waste being mutilated to such an extent that it was sprayed across half of the lab behind him.

"OH MY GOD!" the second scientist cried out, and Monalisa turned her eyes towards him, firing off another Kinetic Blast, and that man was torn asunder as well. But it was hard for Monalisa to properly focus with her powers, probably because of the sedatives, though that didn't stop her from killing anyone that got within her line of sight.

Arden stared at the fate of his men in equal interest and fear, clearly Monalisa was more powerful than before, and his life could easily be snuffed out like a candle.

"So the ninja's reports were true… you really have changed…"

"Get over here and you can experience it first-hand. Your serums won't heal you if you're splattered across the walls."

"I am no fool, bitch, I will stay out of the range of these… attacks. Whatever kind of power this is, it clearly has limits, otherwise you would have attacked me with it already. But I can take precautions to ensure my safety."

With a few quick commands on his computer, the dosage of sedatives was increased, and Monalisa felt even more sluggish than before. At Arden's command, another Foot scientist quickly placed a blindfold over her eyes, to limit her ability to locate her targets.

Monalisa cursed mentally, and seeing no way out of her perilous position on her own, she would have to find another way to free herself, but she would also have to make sure that Arden didn't get any information out of her, and luckily, that was the easy part.

* * *

Back in the lair, a few hours later, all of the current inhabitants were sleeping soundly, despite the trauma some of them had experienced with Monalisa leaving them.

All, save for one.

Sephie just couldn't fall asleep, not after hearing what the Zerg really were, but it wasn't because they were the stuff of nightmares made flesh, even though they were. No, what tormented her mind was the part about Monalisa leading them from planet to planet, wiping out anything in her way.

She just couldn't stand the thought, the possibility, about that becoming a reality, it ate at her from within and would probably continue until Monalisa was her old self again, however that would happen.

The more she tried to push the thoughts away, the more they pushed back, but after a while she got an idea. Maybe she could go and talk to Monalisa, see what hid beneath this new persona of hers. Sephie's dreams of becoming a psychotherapist had allowed her to see the darkness within the Lizard Lady when it haunted her, and she had been able to get through to Monalisa when first they met, which allowed them to form a strong bond despite that Monalisa had been very hostile and suspicious of the Gecko at first.

With that idea in her head, she realised that she wouldn't be able to get any sleep unless she did something about it. Carefully getting out of bed and getting dressed, Sephie wrote a quick note for her lover should he wake up before she was back, or should something happen. Having been present when Leonardo explained the way to Monalisa's hive, she knew where to go.

She knew that she could find herself in a very dangerous situation, but she had to try, for the sake of her honorary sister. And she wouldn't go unarmed, taking both her bow and all the special arrows she had, but also the two Dragon-tooth daggers that had been forged for her in Skyrim, they were sharp and strong enough to cut through most kinds metals.

With a quick pace, she hurried from the lair to the tunnel to Monalisa's 'new home', and all the while, Sephie silently prayed that she would be able to talk some sense into her dear friend.

* * *

Arden was stumped.

He and his crew had worked tirelessly on trying to acquire new information from Monalisa, and while the samples they had taken from her had yielded some interesting data, their attempts to interrogate her had been the complete opposite of successful.

No matter what kinds of serums they had injected her with, or how much, she didn't react to any of them. Not the pain-serum, or the fear-serum, not even the truth-serum caused her to talk, in fact, she didn't even say a single word, she just laid on the table, seemingly completely relaxed.

Arden had to do some additional tests to make sure that she wasn't dead, in a coma or similar, and by all accounts the results said that she should have been fully awake, if rather sluggish from the sedatives, but she wasn't, and it almost caused the doctor to pull his remaining hair.

"This doesn't make any sense! Why isn't she awake?" he mumbled to himself, going over the results again. "How am I supposed to interrogate a prisoner that isn't awake when they should be? What am I supposed to do?"

Taking a step back from the computer, he tried to gather his thoughts, to see the problem from another angle.

"Everything points to that she should be awake, and yet she isn't. Nothing that we've done to her has caused this, the tests proves that much, so this must be something else. Something… domestic, so to speak."

Looking back at Monalisa, Arden walked up to her, grabbing a scalpel on the way. As he stood over her unresponsive body, he took the scalpel and used it to cut her across her stomach, all while looking for any kind of reaction, the tiniest twitch in her face, but there were none. The only thing that happened was that the wound healed, at a faster rate than normal for Monalisa.

"It's almost as if she's in some sort of trance…" he mused to himself, then a thought struck him. "Wait a minute, I remember reading about certain arts of meditation that would place people into a very deep trance, could she have done the same? Such arts have no use to us, so we have never trained anyone in them, but that rat might have trained the freaks in it, thinking it necessary."

Thinking for a little while, Arden looked back at Monalisa's face, the blindfold still firmly tied over her eyes.

"If this is what she has done, then her consciousness is out of reach for my serums. The pain pulsating throughout her body won't cause her any harm, and any nightmares from the fear-serum won't reach her mind. This complicates things severely, but she can't remain in this state indefinitely, sooner or later, she will require nourishment, and together with her greatly improved healing ability, I can keep her alive well past starvation, all while we will have the only source of food available to her."

Arden leaned in closer, speaking directly to Monalisa.

"Do you hear me, whore? It doesn't matter how well or long you hide in your own mind, I will break you."

* * *

At the same time, within the hivemind, Monalisa was formulating a plan to free herself. She was still aware of everything that happened to and around her body, at least as far as her senses allowed, but she wasn't currently inhabiting it.

Arden wasn't half wrong in his assumption of her using meditation to evade his interrogation, as she had gotten the idea to retreat into the hivemind from that very kind of meditation, and there she could remain indefinitely if she so desired, even if her body would die. Should that happen, she could just inhabit another Zerg instead, create a new body, or just remain in the hivemind.

But she was rather fond of her own body, and would try her hardest to get it back from her foes if possible.

As she was thinking, Dana reached out to her within the hivemind.

" _My Queen, you have a visitor._ "

 **Oh boy, things are happening on all fronts now. Had some more that I wanted to put into this chapter, but it felt like it would be too long, so you'll get that next time.**

 **Refering some other stories in this chapter as well. Amber having been brainwashed back when she was human is from my sotry A Sister's Plight. And Sephie having seen darkness within Mona is from my first story, Mutant Vigelantes, while also refering to Bloodrayne666's story, Mona's Wonderful Life, where Sephie also noticed similar things.**

 **That's about it for now. As always, I only own my own characters and ideas, with the others belonging to their respective owners, such as this version of Monalisa, minus the Zerg part, and Pandora and Kemeko belonging to Bloodrayne666. Do read her stories if you want more about their adventures, they are great!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Note: Some elements of this story reference events in other stories, such as 'Switched' and 'Fury Within Her', by Bloodrayne666. Great stories that you should all read.**

 **Chapter 21**

 **Planning For The Future**

At the quick pace that Sephie had kept, it only took her about ten minutes to reach the tunnel down to Monalisa's hive cluster, but despite all she had been told about the Zerg, she still wasn't prepared to see them in person. She had to take several minutes just looking at all the organic buildings and the creatures among them in order to mentally prepare herself, but the more she looked at the Zerg, the more she wished that she had taken someone with her, preferably Tyroth.

But she was already there, so she had to continue with what she felt she needed to do, and thus walked down among the bio-structures. Shivers went down her spine, both from the cool touch of the creep under her feet and from being observed by the various Zergs, but she pressed onward.

"Mona? Mona, where are you?" she called out in her normal voice, as she didn't want to risk angering the other creatures, yet she didn't get any response.

After a little while, she had reached the hatchery, and saw five large eggs at its base, all pulsating as something squirmed within them. Suddenly, they all burst open, and Sephie had to jump backward to avoid getting sprayed by the green liquids from within the eggs, then she saw what had hatched, and they terrified her.

The Hydralisk. A fifteen feet long, serpentine body, covered in hard, thick carapace, ended with an upright torso, like if it was a centaur with the lower body of a snake instead of a horse, but the upper part wasn't even nearly humanoid, instead it had broad shoulders with arms ending in large scythe-like claws, easily three feet in length. The head was long and ended with a broad, triangular crest that covered the back of its neck, and long spikes grew from the edges of the carapace on its back.

Rising to its full height of nearly twelve feet, it let out a deep hiss as its lower jaw split in two, revealing an additional jaw inside.

Sephie instantly reached for her bow and readied an arrow, though she held her fire, waiting with baited breath while her heart pounded so hard that she thought it would burst out of her chest. But despite having an arrow aimed at them, none of the five creatures did anything other than stared at the Gecko, hissing slightly every now and then.

"Calm down, they won't hurt you." a female voice said, and soon the owner walked into view from Sephie's left.

"Unless you give them reason to, anyway." Dana said, stopping next to Sephie.

The Gecko's eyes went wide at the sight of the infested woman, even more so than any other Zerg so far, and it took a moment before she could collect herself enough to speak.

"Who… who are you? What are you?" she asked, still keeping her arrow drawn.

"I'm Dana, Maiden of the Swarm, and I lead it in our Queen's absence."

"Queen? Do you mean Mona?"

"Yes, she is our Queen."

"Okay… and you said that she was absent? But if she isn't here, where is she?" Sephie said, lowering her bow and arrow slightly.

"She wanted to take some time to herself, and have isolated herself from us for the moment."

"When will she be back? I want to talk to her."

"She never said when she would return. But if you want, I could try and reach her for you."

"I thought you said she had isolated herself."

"She has, but she is still within the hivemind, and will be able to receive messages specifically directed to her, but whether she answers or not is up to her. Should I try?"

"Yes please."

"My Queen, you have a visitor." Dana said, shifting her eyes from Sephie and seemingly just looking out into the air, then she waited a short moment before speaking again. "It is your friend Sephie who wants to speak with you."

Despite never having told this Dana her name, the infested woman obviously knew who Sephie was, so either Monalisa had told her, or it was shared through this hivemind of theirs. Whatever the case, Sephie still couldn't really get her head around Dana's existence, and questions lingered in her mind to where she came from.

"I understand, my Queen. One moment, please." Dana said, snapping Sephie out of her thoughts, and for a brief moment, the light of life in Dana's eyes dimmed and her body relaxed but still stood upright.

Then the light returned to the eyes, together with a small flash of orange light, and the body twitched slightly. Dana stood still for a moment, looking down at her hands, flexing and clawing with them for a while.

"This is an interesting experience." she said before turning back to Sephie. "Hi, Sephie. It's been a while."

"Dana?"

"No, it's me, Mona. Your little sis"

"Mona? Is it really you? How?"

"A benefit of the hivemind, and how Zerg have adapted. Their souls aren't really tied to one body, but can swap as needed. For most of the Zerg, it does little difference, but for the more advanced ones, such as me, and Dana whose body I'm borrowing now, it can be very useful. And not too different from our experience with that soul swapping crystal we found years ago."

"I can see that…" Sephie said, still eyeing Dana's body with suspicion. While it wasn't Monalisa's voice that spoke, it did feel like it was Monalisa that talked. "But where are you? And where did this Dana come from anyway?"

"I'm just too far away to get back in a timely fashion, that is all."

"But where? Where are you?"

"You don't have to worry, Sephie. I'm not in any danger. Just on the other side of town, taking some time to plan for the future."

"The future, huh? Is that what Dana is too? She looks so… human compared to the others, but at the same time not."

"She actually used to be human." Monalisa said, causing Sephie to stare at her in disbelief.

"She was human?! But, how? Why? What happened to her?"

"She used to be a Purple Dragon, but after they were attacked, she was left behind, and then I found her not long ago, so I took her in and gave her a new chance at life."

"And you did this to her? Turned her into… that?" Sephie asked, gesturing to Dana.

"With the power of the Zerg, I was able to give her a new and better body, and she was all too eager to help me after that. It's just like you Mutopians have done over the years."

"Mona… no. That's not at all what we do."

"It isn't? They took both you and Tyroth in when you were badly injured, and mutating was Tyroth's only chance to survive, the same with Amber. And how many others haven't you offered a new life to?"

"That's different! Most of them had the choice of mutating. Yes, there were several that had to be mutated in order to survive, but they're still in their right mind! Dana… how can you even be sure that she is still her? If you can simply 'swap minds' through the hivemind at will, how can you be sure that her mind is unchanged? How can you be sure that you're still you?!"

"And you don't understand either." Monalisa sighed, frowning at Sephie. "I really hoped that you would."

"I want to understand, trust me. But right now, I'm not even sure you're the Mona I used to know. The one I was proud to call my honorary sister. These… Zerg have changed you, can't you see that?"

"Ugh, why can't any of you see the good that I can do with them?!" Monalisa snapped, her patience running low. "So what if I've changed a little?! With the Zerg I can make sure that no one can ever threaten us or our families again!"

"It's not worth the sacrifice! Mona, please, stop this before it's too late! Let us help you!" Sephie pleaded.

"No! I'm fine, I don't need any help! And my Swarm will stay, they will rid the city of our foes, once and for all! They'll never hurt us again! They'll never hurt me again."

"That doesn't mean you can do that to them!" Sephie said, again gesturing at Dana. "They forced your mutation on you, if you do the same to them out of spite, then you're no better than them!"

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! You have no idea how it felt to live through what they did to me! And despite what they did to me, what I did to Dana was more merciful than any of them deserve!"

"That doesn't make it right!"

"Enough! Get out of my sight, you ungrateful bitch!"

Sephie was shocked and just stared at the infested woman, straight into her eyes, still trying to read her friend in the orange eyes, but it was for naught, as the eyes once again darkened for a brief moment, and Dana again spoke as the light returned.

"My Queen doesn't want to speak to you any more. She asks you to leave, I would do as she say, if you know what's good for you."

"Fine! I was going anyway!" Sephie said and quickly turned around to leave the hive cluster.

As she walked back to the lair, a few tears fell as she felt hurt by Monalisa's words and behaviour. But she forced herself to focus past the grief and hurt, trying to analyse what she had been able to pick up on from the conversation, but it was hard, so hard, and she didn't know where to start or what to do. It was safe to assume that she wouldn't be getting much sleep for the remainder of the night.

* * *

Back with the Zerg, Monalisa remained in the hivemind, still trying to figure out a good way to free her body from Arden, but she found that she had a more difficult time concentrating than normal, and Dana noticed this.

" _My Queen, are you alright?"_

" _I'm… not sure. Even though I'm using the Zerg to do good, my friends and family don't seem to understand. Are they all blinded by fear, or are they right? Have I really changed that much?"_

" _You have changed, just as a true Zerg would."_

" _But have I changed too much?_ _Are_ _Sephie and Tyroth right about me? And what about you, Dana? Are you really happy like this?"_

" _My Queen, my old life was one of crime, dishonesty and treachery. The other Purple Dragons would have left me to my fate had something happened to me. Here, I am part of something greater, of a family that never_ _can_ _, never_ _will_ _, abandon me, and I now live to serve you. This is where I'm meant to be, where I want to be, and you may use me as you see fit, both for business and pleasure."_

Monalisa sighed and thought about it for a while, but she still felt that doubt about her actions had taken root in her mind. However, she quickly forced all that aside, for she still needed to escape Arden's clutches, not that he would get anything other than DNA out of her, but that was still something that she didn't want to share with him.

" _Do you need help, my Queen? The entire Swarm is ready to aid you as soon as you give the word. The Foot won't stand a chance against us."_

" _Never underestimate the Foot, Dana, they are far more cunning than I give them credit for. But don't worry, once our forces have grown strong and numerous enough, we will take the fight to them."_

" _But you are still imprisoned, is there any way I can help?"_

" _Not at the moment. But I will free myself from here shortly, so you just keep preparing for my return._

" _As you wish, my Queen. I will continue to grow the Swarm until that time."_

" _Very good, Dana. I'm proud of you."_

" _Thank you."_

* * *

Focusing back on her body, but not entering it, Monalisa felt how Arden and his crew kept injecting it with all serums they had, believing that they could wake her from her trance.

But they were wrong, more wrong than they could ever imagine, and all that their efforts were for them were a waste of resources, but not so for Monalisa. She could easily use her body to sample, and analyse the serums' chemical structure, and with the aid of the evolution chamber, they could be recreated by the Zerg, possibly even improved upon.

And thinking about those possibilities, Monalisa got an idea.

" _Dana, I want you to fetch something for me."_ she said through the hivemind.

" _Whatever you wish, my Queen."_

 **Ouch! Mona sure was harsh to Sephie when she didn't want to see eye to eye with the Lizard Lady, but just like the conversation with Tyroth, it seems that this triggered some doubts within Mona's mind.**

 **And yet, she's still planning on continuing with her plans, and seems to have gotten at least one more. Wonder what that might be.**

 **Also, the Hydralisk Den, which is required for morphing Hydralisks, was started in chapter 18 and finished between chapters after that. Let me know if any of you would want a description of it. Personally, I don't find it necessary, since Mona already got what she needed from it, but that's just me.**

 **See you all next time. :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

 **Out the Window**

The day had come and gone, the sun finally setting to the west. During that time, the mutants in the lair slept, while the scientists of the Foot clan worked tirelessly under Arden's orders.

But just like the entire population of New York, the two factions were completely unaware of the movement of the Zerg swarm. As per usual, the drones would gather what resources they could on the surface once the darkness had fallen, but this night, they had one additional objective.

A group of three drones hovered through the sewers, escorted by six zerglings, two hydralisks and a single roach, with two of the zerglings scouting ahead to avoid running into any humans. While they did have to take a few detours to avoid late night sewage workers and the like, they soon arrived at their destination.

Far to the south, near Coney Island Beach, was the New York Aquarium, a place that Dana had been to several times as a child and before she had joined the Purple Dragons, and she knew the layout pretty well as a result.

That was their target.

Or rather, something on the inside.

* * *

Deep inside one of the Aquarium structures, a patch of the ground began to smoke before it completely dissolved as acid ate through it. The Zerg roach quickly climbed out, followed closely by the two hydralisks, and lastly the drones and zerglings.

With Dana looking through their eyes, she directed them with great efficiently, and upon spotting any kind of security cameras, the hydralisks quickly dealt with them. With the aid of the over four thousand muscles in their upper torso, spines the size of a hand and the shape of arrowheads were shot out from a pair of slits on the sides of their heads, hitting the cameras at super sonic speeds, completely destroying them. While the scythe-like claws were indeed deadly in their own right, it was the hydralisks' ability to shoot spines that made them a terror on the battlefields, especially since they could shoot fighter-jets out of the sky with high precision.

After a few minutes, the Zerg group had found what they were looking for, one of many large water tanks with a single species of fish, electric eels. With a couple of quick slashes from the zerglings, the glass was shattered, and the tank's content was spilled upon the entire floor. Quick as a flash, the Zerg began securing the splashing fish, any attempts of the fish to escape or fight them off proving useless, leaving them in a pile for the drones to more easily gather.

Once they had clumped the fishes together into a large ball of biomass, the Zerg quickly left the Aquarium the same way they had entered, with only the damage and the odd frames on security footage as evidence of what had happened, all while the Zerg returned to their hive, their mission completed.

* * *

When the group of Zerg had returned home, they were immediately met by Dana, who inspected their catch and was very pleased.

" _My Queen, we have gotten the electric eels, as you commanded."_ she said over the hivemind.

" _Good job, Dana. Now consume them, and work together with the evolution chamber to create a new strain after the specifications that I'm sending you."_ A second later, Dana received an image of what Monalisa wanted, together with information about its abilities. _"As soon as you're done, spawn five of them for testing."_

" _I will do as you ask, my Queen. But I'm afraid that this isn't my strongest side."_

" _Don't worry about that, we'll get more help in the near future."_

Not needing any more instructions, Dana and a few zerglings began tearing into the eels. The few that were still alive struggled slightly, but as earlier it was all for naught. As soon as Dana had swallowed her first piece of the eels, she felt in her mind how her body read the new DNA that the Zerg now assimilated, and when there were no more eel to eat, she began work on her next assignment.

* * *

Back in the Foot HQ, specifically in the throneroom, Arden walked in to deliver the report on his work on Monalisa to his master, the Shredder, but he sadly didn't have the news that either of them wanted.

"Ah, doctor Arden." Shredder said as he saw the scientist approach. "What news do you have for me?"

"Master." Arden said, bowing deeply before continuing. "I'm sorry to say, but our efforts have not yielded any new information."

"How is that possible?" Arashi asked from his master's side. "I thought your methods could loosed even the tightest of lips. Save for the Dragon." Both Arashi and Arden winced slightly at the mere mention of the dragon, and the memories of his destructive power that followed.

"Monalisa has entered some form of trance, and has rendered herself completely unresponsive to all I can do without killing her. But while I haven't learned anything from her, I have learned new things about her, specifically her new abilities."

"I read the reports, and I must say that I'm intrigued." said Shredder. "If they are true, that is."

"Oh, they are very much true, master, I've already lost two scientists to her new ability, so I can guarantee it. And she hasn't been able to do it again since we blindfolded her, so it seems that she require to see her targets for it."

"Most impressive." Shredder said with a smirk. "Keep working on her, doctor, it will give us a great advantage over any who would oppose us. And sooner or later, she will give us all the information we want."

* * *

In the lab, Monalisa's body still lay unmoving, strapped to the table, despite all the serums that had been pumped into her and that the Foot scientists had cut her open multiple times to further examine any differences she might have gained compared to her old self. But all wounds had healed almost as quickly as they had been inflicted, so the only thing that the Foot had gained from her, were more of her DNA, which they would use to create more of their new infested ninja.

Monalisa was fully aware of all this, even though her soul wasn't in her body at the moment, but that was about to change as she now had a plan to escape.

With a gasp as the body drew in more air, Monalisa entered her body again, and made her move to be free.

"H-hello? W-where am I? Is anyone there?" she asked carefully, with worry in her voice. "Please, if someone is there, could you say something?"

"So you're finally awake, huh?" a Foot scientist said. "Doctor Arden will be pleased to know that. Then we can continue with the investigation."

"I'll call him right away." said a second scientist. "Make sure that her blindfold is properly tied on, we don't want her to do to us what she did to the others."

"Don't worry, I'm no idiot, unlike some around here." the first scientist said, mumbling the last part.

"W-what's going on? Why am I tied down? Where am I?" Monalisa asked again.

"Oh, don't you worry about that, it will soon be over."

"What do you mean? And what are you doing to my hand?"

"Your hand? What do you mean?"

"My right hand, I can feel you doing something in my palm."

"No-one's doing anything to to your hands."

"B-but I can feel it and- Oh God! It just squirmed! There's something inside my hand! Please, get it out of me!" Monalisa cried out, and started to pull and throw her body in a panic.

"Can you shut her up, I'm trying to make a call here!" the other scientist called from across the room. "It's bad enough that my phone isn't working properly, but I don't have to work under these circumstances."

"Crybaby…" the scientist by Monalisa's side complained. After trying to calm Monalisa, he began to examine the palm of her right hand, first visually and then with his own fingers as he didn't see anything.

But as he ran his fingers across her palm, feeling and poking it lightly, he suddenly felt how something stung one of his fingers, and quickly pulled back his hand with an 'ouch'.

"Damn phone must be completely busted!" the other scientist said as he walked back to his colleague. "Give me yours so I can call Arden."

"Sure… thing…" the scientist answered in a slow voice, staring at his hand.

"Something wrong with you?"

Rather than answering, the scientist tackled his colleague to the floor without warning, getting his hands around his neck and strangling him.

"W-what… a-are… y-you… d-doing…?"

"Killing you." he responded, his eyes flashing orange for a brief moment. "For the Queen."

With a quick twist, and a resounding crack, the neck was snapped, and the remaining scientist walked over to Monalisa and undid her shackles.

"Excellent. I knew you would make the better subject." Monalisa praised. "Now we just have to get out of here without being seen."

"I know the way, my Queen."

"Good, but before we leave..." Monalisa gathered her things and walked over to the corpse, and with the sharp blades of her war-fans, she cut off the head and placed it in a plastic bag, taking it with her. "A good brain is a terrible thing to waste."

"Agreed, but we must hurry, my Queen. If anyone discovers us, you will be in danger."

"Then let's make sure that they don't. All we have to do is get out from this building, and escape into the city and the sewers underneath, then they will never catch me."

* * *

With her infested servant taking the lead, Monalisa began making her way out of the Foot HQ, using him as her eyes to spot any surveillance cameras and ninja in on their path, so that she could hide and avoid, though there were a few ninja that spotted her, but those were quickly dealt with, and their bodies hidden.

Unfortunately, her luck wouldn't hold forever.

* * *

Back in the lab, Arden had just returned, and the lack of a prisoner, together with a dead body, were more than enough evidence that something had gone wrong.

"What the hell?! What happened here?!" he cried out in shock shortly after entering the lab and seeing the state it was in.

"Another dead scientist…" he said after a quick glance at the headless body. "And the other one is missing, as is Monalisa. Do we have a traitor on our hands, or is there more going on here then meets the eye? Whatever the case, I must sound the alarm. Monalisa must be recaptured, dead or alive!"

Quickly reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and dialed security. He would not allow Monalisa to slip through his fingers again, not when he was so close to uncovering her new secrets.

* * *

Not long after, the alarm rang throughout the entire building, and Monalisa knew that she had ran out of time, she needed to take a more direct approach.

Rather than sneaking around, the two now dashed through the hallways, looking for a way out. They had already reached the outer most rooms and halls of the tall building, but they were still too far up to be able to escape that way, at least without wings.

But as they made their way down the many floors, they kept running into more ninja, though they were quickly dealt with thanks to Monalisa's Kinetic Blast and Crushing Grip. However, the constant use of those powers did drain Monalisa of her energy, and she didn't know how much more she could use them before she would deplete her supply and would have to wait and recover.

Crushing another group of ninja with her Crushing Grip, she gritted her teeth as she felt that she was nearing her limit.

"They just keep coming." she growled through clenched teeth as more ninja blocked their path.

"More behind us, my Queen!" her infested scientist warned her, and just in time, as shuriken and kunai were thrown at them from both in front of them and behind them, and while they were able to dodge most of them, several did find their marks, leaving the duo injured as they were impaled by the metal projectiles.

There was just too much going on all around them, too many ninja in their way, and they were not able to deal with it all, not in a timely fashion. But Monalisa wouldn't let them capture her again, she wasn't going back onto a table, not ever again. Gathering as much of her psionic power as she could spare, she cried out in effort and frustration as she unleashed it as a Shockwave that shattered the glass windows in the hallway and knocked over every ninja within sights, giving them a few moments to escape.

"This way! Quickly!" Monalisa said as she and her minion both jumped out the broken windows. They were still far too high up to survive such a fall, and there were no buildings that they could reach, but they had no other choice. But by channelling her psionics once again, Monalisa was able to levitate the two of them, slowing their fall and allowing them to reach the nearby buildings, at least for as long as she had energy enough for it, if it were to run out, they would fall like a rock.

It looked like they would be able to make it across safely, but the ninja back in the Foot HQ had recovered from being knocked over, and had again spotted their prey. Several had drawn bows and took aim at the escapees, releasing their arrows in a last effort to stop them.

Most arrows never even got close, the strong winds pushing them off course, but one found its mark, striking Monalisa in the back, piercing her torso, and the head exiting through her chest. The sudden pain and shock caused Monalisa to loose her focus, and the two began free-falling again, but luckily they had gotten far enough to be able to land on the rooftop of another building, but it wasn't without injuries, as they had still been high above it.

Both rolled upon landing to try and avoid getting hurt, but that only minimised their injuries as several bones were fractured and a few were broken, mostly ribs and fingers. It was in great pain that Monalisa forced herself back on her feet, using what little energy she had left for a Mend, and though it was weaker than normal, it still helped them both to recover and heal enough to be able to move again. Hurrying out of sight from the ninja that was sure to follow them, they both made their way down into an alley as soon as they could, and from there into the sewer, at which point they began running and they wouldn't stop until they had reached the safety of the hive cluster.

* * *

A little while later, back in the throneroom of the Foot building, the Shredder was all but happy about the recent development.

"She got away?!" he asked, staring down Arden, who cowered under his master's gaze. "How is that possible?"

"She knows the sewers as good as the turtles, master. Once she reached them, the ninja had no chance of tracking her." Arden explained, even though that was obvious.

"I know that, but how did she escape in the first place?"

"It seems that one of our own betrayed us and released her. Why he would do that, I don't know, but he escaped together with her."

Suddenly, Arden found that Oroku Saki had drawn his katana, the tip now resting against his healthy cheek, drawing a single drop of blood.

"Your loyalty is admirable, doctor." Saki said coldly. "But you know well that failure won't go tolerated, or unpunished. Fail me again, and you will find out just what awaits you."

Retracting the blade and quickly wiping it against Arden's lab coat, the Shredder sheathed it. Arden took that as a sign that he was to return to the task at hand, which he did without pause.

 **Things got hectic here. We all saw what Mona had Dana fetch for her, electric eels. Man, the plans I got for them- I mean, the plans she's got for them.**

 **And all the while she's broken out of the Foot's clutches, though not completely unscathed, and the Shredder is more than a little cheesed about it.**

 **Things will probably get even more violent, and bloody, in the near future. Do you guys want me to warn you? Or have you read the warning in the summary and know what to expect? Let me know with some heartwarming reviews. :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Just a quick note, there is some gore in this chapter, but you'll have to find it on your own.**

 **Chapter 23**

 **Equipped For War**

Earlier that day, Sephie returned to the lair from her meeting with the infested Dana, and through her, Monalisa. Her eyes and cheeks were wet from tears, caused by the cruel words of her best friend, but even though they hurt greatly, she tried to force herself to work past the emotional pain, hoping to find a way to save her honorary sister, if not from the Zerg, then from herself.

Yet, she couldn't help sobbing softly as she entered the room she and Tyroth were borrowing, and a few tears still fell as she undressed to get back into bed with her mate and lover. Whether it was her subtle sobs, her sitting down in bed, or even her sadness, Tyroth was awoken from his sleep.

"Hmm? Sephie?" he asked in a low voice, causing Sephie to stop, her back still turned at him. "Is something wrong?"

Sephie turned around, and Tyroth saw her sad eyes and the evidence of tears in them and on her cheeks.

"Sephie? Why are you crying?" he asked, sitting up and gently wiping away some of the moisture with his thumb. The Gecko just threw herself into his arms, unable to hold her grief within her, crying against his chest as he held her comfortingly. "It's okay, hun, I'm here for you." he whispered softly.

After a few minutes, Sephie was able to calm down enough to be able to talk and think clearer, her mate's presence making her feel significantly better.

"Now, can you tell me why you're so upset, dear?" Tyroth asked, releasing his embrace of Sephie just enough for her to sit up straight.

"It's Mona…" Sephie said, still sobbing a bit. "I… I couldn't sleep… so I went to see her…"

"You what?!" Tyroth exclaimed. "And you went alone?! Sephie, that's dangerous!"

"I know! But I just couldn't get it out of my mind! That vision you and Leo had, about her leading the Zerg from planet to planet. I can't let that happen, not to my best friend! I wanted to try and save her from that, and since you said that she was still there, I hoped that I could get through to her."

"I understand that feeling, and you weren't harmed were you?"

"No, at least, not physically. But the way she spoke to me, so angry and cruel she was, that hurt me… Do you have any idea of how much it hurts to be called an ungrateful bitch by your best friend? And really feel how those words were dripping with scorn?"

"Gods, she said that? And to you of all people. No wonder that you're so upset. I'm really sorry…"

"It's not your fault, baby. I made the decision to go there, and I was prepared that she wouldn't act herself, but this just hit so deep within me. But at least I learned something from it all."

"Take your time, honey. I'm listening."

"She is still there, underneath this new her, just like you said, but it was so hard to try and get a read on her."

"Why is that?"

"She… she wasn't in her own body."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I met someone else, Dana, another Zerg, one that used to be human. A Purple Dragon that had been left behind, or so Mona said, but she took her in and… mutated her into some kind of human Zerg hybrid."

"Leo and I saw similar things during our vision. As we explained, the Zerg have the power to do so with other creatures. I believe it's called 'infestation', and that's pretty much what happened to Mona. But to think that she would do it to someone else…"

"I know, but that's not all. Their souls can apparently move through the hive mind, allowing them to swap bodies as we'd swap clothes. That's how Mona spoke to me, through this Dana. At first I wasn't sure that it was her, but with how she spoke, I have no doubts that it was Mona, but despite that, it was hard to really read her, to know just what was going on in her mind. She seemed so distant, yet present. I tried to push and probe a bit to see if I could get some reactions, but after she explained Dana… I was just so taken aback that I lost my train of thought, and when I questioned her and her methods, she snapped at me."

"Just like she did with me. She seems to have developed quite the temper, at least if we call her out on the dangers or flaws of all this. Must be part of how parts of her mind have been suppressed in favour for a total focus on survival."

"What should we do, honey? What can we do?" Sephie sighed, a few tears more falling.

"I don't know love, but we're not giving up on Mona. For now, we should both try to get back to sleep, it's been a difficult time for us all, and we'll discuss this with the others tomorrow, maybe they'll have an idea or two."

"I suppose you're right, I just hope we're not too late by tomorrow."

* * *

Monalisa and her newest acquisition, a Foot scientist by the name of Lee that she had infected in order to escape, arrived back at the hive cluster under New York. Several kunai and shuriken still protruded from their bodies, as well as one arrow in Monalisa's torso, evidence from the battle they had escaped. They hadn't had the time to remove them as they wanted to get to safety as quickly as possible, though most had already been pushed out because of the Zerg healing ability.

Not until they set foot on the field of creep, did they stop to deal with their wounds, plucking one projectile after the other as they walked towards the hatchery, where Dana met up with them.

"Welcome back, my Queen. I'm glad to see that you're with us again."

"Glad to be back." Monalisa said as she snapped the tip of the arrow and pulled it out. It both hurt and bled, but both stopped shortly after as the wound began to heal. "My body, even with all the new abilities and powers, is still far too… fragile. As strong as my army may be, it will never truly be stronger than its leader, and that means that I need to evolve further. Though, first I would want to finish my current project."

"Understood, and about that, my Queen, I'm afraid that I just don't have the skill at spinning such advanced sequences. The prototypes that I made were all far from usable, and had to be recycled."

"Don't worry, Dana, with our newest member, Lee, we will be making progress shortly, but first, he needs to undergo an evolution of his own." Monalisa said and shared her orders mentally.

Lee knelt by Monalisa's side, and presented the bag with the severed head of his former colleague that they had gathered earlier. Monalisa took out the head and held it in one hand, while she drew her war-fan and walked around Lee. She jabbed the folded blades into the back of his neck, cutting all the way down to the spine, but not hard enough to severe it, and then proceeded with elongating and widening the wound until it was as big as her hand.

The wound was already beginning to heal when Monalisa pushed the severed neck of the dead head into it, then Dana used Transfusion, a weaker version of Monalisa's own Mend that only targeted one Zerg rather than everyone in a radius. The healing of the wound accelerated, and blood was pumped into the other head's open veins, carrying with it the infested DNA of Lee, which quickly began to infect and assimilate the remains.

Another Transfusion from Dana, and the newly infested tissue of the head began to heal as well, growing new nerves and muscles to support it, and after a third Transfusion, it had attached itself to the spinal cord of Lee, and all of the head was completely infested. With a gurgled gasp, the eyes opened and the entire face twitched from time to time as the head came alive again. But that was all it was, alive, not aware, whatever personality and memories the original owner had had were gone, leaving the brain an empty slate.

As gruesome as it might seem, to Monalisa and the others it was nothing more than adding an extra processor and memory to a computer. But they weren't done just yet.

Once enough muscles to hold the extra head in place had been grown, Lee got up and walked over to the spawning pool, and after wading into the centre of the ooze it held, he sat down and let a fleshy cocoon rise up from the floor of the pool and swallow him whole. Inside, he was undergoing a slow metamorphosis into a new form, one more suited for his future role as Monalisa's Evolution Master.

* * *

Over in the lair, a few hours later, after everyone had woken up and had breakfast, Sephie decided to tell them about her meeting with Monalisa, and the others weren't too happy with her having sneaked out on her own without telling anyone.

"I know it was stupid, but I just couldn't let it go. I had to talk to her." she had explained.

"Well, as long as you're okay, I suppose that all is well. At least on that point." said Leonardo.

"But what do we do?" asked Heather. "If not even Sephie could get Mona to regain her senses, what options do we have left?"

"Good question, Heather." said Donatello. "And with how interlinked she and the Zerg truly are, we must take the Zerg into consideration in whatever plan we might devise. There is no telling what might happen if they are separated from her, not even this Dana."

"And as none of those of us that are the closest to Mona have gotten through to her, we need a new approach." said Splinter.

"Here's an idea, why not let Pandora talk to her?" said Percy.

"NO WAY IN HELL!" Raphael almost roared, drawing his sai and almost lunging at the grasshopper, with only Tyroth managing to stop him with a strong grip.

"Hey, calm down, Raph!" the dragon said.

"Pandora's not going anywhere near those things!" the red-masked turtle yelled at Percy, who had taken several steps away from him, hiding behind Kate of all mutants.

"I didn't mean anything bad with it!" Percy tried to explain. "Believe me, I don't want anything to happen to that sweet kid, but I just thought that maybe she could get through to Mona, them being mother and daughter and all."

"He does have a point." said Tyroth. "But I also agree with Raph, it's far too dangerous to bring her to that place."

"Then… why not try to bring Mona to Pandora instead?" said Amber. "Them meeting might just be what we need to get our Mona back, just like Percy said."

"Sure, but how? She's basically exiled us from her hive." said Sephie.

"Maybe we should offer her a compromise." James mused. "So far, it seems like she gets angry at us for not accepting these Zerg. But what if we were to let her have this swarm of hers, as long as she agrees to return home so that we can learn a little more about them and her new powers. Not offering to 'cure' her, but to understand her."

"That doesn't sound like a too bad idea." said Jack. "And if she's with us again, we can always keep an eye on her."

"Plus, if she really got total control over the Zerg, they could help us to keep the cities safe." said Sharky. "This way, we could at least manage them somewhat, make sure that they don't grow too numerous and such."

"I'm not sure about that." said Michelangelo. "But after seeing what they did to Junktopia, and the dudes in it, I for one would rather have them as friends."

"You and me both, Mikey." said Leonardo.

Suddenly, they all heard someone crying, and soon after they saw Sonia walk in with a very sad Pandora in her arms, struggling a bit.

"Pandora?" Raphael said, quickly sheathing his sais and hurrying over to pull his daughter into his arms. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Mommy… I miss Mommy…" Pandora sobbed.

"She just started crying all of a sudden. Must have remembered that Aunt Mona is still gone." Sonia explained. "I tried to comfort her, but it didn't help. I'm sorry, Uncle Raph."

"Don't be, you've done so much already." Raphael said, gently patting the chameleon on her head, before returning his focus to his daughter.

"Didn't think we would be able to keep her distracted for much longer." Tyroth sighed. "This is incredibly hard on her, and no-one can blame her for it."

"No, definitively not." said Kate. "If we're going to get Mona back, we should do it as soon as possible, before she does something stupid."

"Agreed." said Splinter.

However, whether or not Monalisa was just about to do that, was unknown to the mutants, and up for debate from Monalisa's point of view.

* * *

As the mutants decided on what to do, the cocoon around Lee pulsated even more as it was almost ready to hatch. After a few minutes more, the fleshy shell finally burst opened, revealing Lee's new form, designed with the purpose of being that of an Evolution Master for the Zerg.

He stood at his original height, five and a half foot, and was still humanoid, with his lower body being very similar to Dana's, with clawed feet, a tail, and carapace covering most of his body. But it was above the waist that he really differed from his fellow infested human. His arms were a foot longer and spindly, possessing an extra joint between the elbows and wrists, which granted him a greater range of movement. His hands only had three claw-like fingers and a thumb, all long and spindly, just like the arms. Finally, while he had still retained most of his face, it was now adorned with a pair of tusked mandibles and an extra pair of eyes, while his brain and the extra from the severed head they had 'transplanted' had been merged together and grown, resulting in a large bloated cranium that extended down between his shoulders, gently pulsating all the time.

"Metamorphosis complete." he stated with a hazy voice.

Not that he needed to announce that, since both Monalisa and Dana were aware of it. While they had waited for Lee to finish his evolution, they had mentally worked together on the project that Monalisa had had Dana fetch electric eels for, and had made quite some improvements, while still maintaining the hive cluster.

"Ready for assignment." Lee announced as he approached his Queen.

"Right on time, Lee." Monalisa said with a smile. "Finish up this design for me, then I want you to start working on a better body for me."

"Acknowledged." Lee said, accessing the mental schematic for the special project. "Impressive work. Good potential. Flaws detected. Complicated sequences, limited manoeuvrability, low energy reserves. Can solve, improve, evolve. Simplify sequences. Use roach baseline for body. Broodmother for energy reserves. Applying mutations. Adaptations complete. Morphing strain for testing."

Over by the hatchery, a single larva encased itself in a cocoon, and a few minutes later, it was born into its new form.

On eight broad and stubby insect legs it moved into view, its body being disc-shaped, six feet across and two feet tall, covered in thick, jagged carapace, its six-eyed head just barely poking out underneath its protective shell. Four long, curved horns, similar to a stag beetle's, grew from the edges of its back, one in each corner, reaching a height of four feet on their own and curving inward, towards each other. Electricity crackled and arced along and between the horns.

"New strain, Arclisk, ready for testing. Heavy support. Must root to attack. Attacks with powerful lightning-bolts. Long range. Improved efficiency when rooted in creep. Can morph from larva. Requires roach warren and lair."

"Excellent." Monalisa said, patting the new breed on its head as she looked it over, making it almost purr. "Now all we have to do is test it."

Giving it orders to simply attack a spot on the cave walls in the distance, the Arclisk moved towards it until it was three hundred feet from it, then it began digging into the ground, burrowing until only half of its disc-shaped body was visible a few seconds later. The electricity began to crackle even more as a ball of pure lightning formed in between the curved horns. After a couple of seconds, all the collected energy was released as a powerful bolt, that struck the wall in a fraction of a second, accompanied by a loud crack like thunder.

Once the bolt had been fired, more energy started to gather, and five seconds after the first bolt, a second was fired, followed by a third bolt another five seconds later, each leaving red-hot marks on the thick granite walls.

"Attack speed improved while rooted in creep. Slower off creep." Lee explained.

"It's more than enough. As fast as the Foot ninja may be, not even they can dodge a lightning strike." said Monalisa. "A shame that I don't have a live target to test it on, I don't want to use my own troops for it, so I guess it will have to wait until when we attack the Foot."

"Affirmative. Test concluded, and successful. Adding strain to Swarm."

"Very good, now all we need to do is grow Swarm even larger and finish one final project. My new body. Once that is done, the Foot will die."

"We await your command, my Queen."

"Affirmative.

 **It does seem like the mutants have come to a desicion of some sort, or at the very least they are closer to it. Wonder if bringing Mona back home to Pandora will do anything to bring out her old self. Provided that they aren't too late.**

 **For she does seem to be close to a point of no return. And with both her new Evolution Master Lee and the Arclisk at her disposal, she's got almost all the tools she need.**

 **I've had the idea for the Arclisk for years, but never had a good way to use it. Finally, it will serve its purpose!**

 **Lee's new personality and part of his appearance are also very similar to the original Evolution Master from Starcraft, Abathur. Love that guy... girl... thing...? Doesn't matter I suppose.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

 **The Point Of No Return?**

After some discussions, it was decided that Tyroth, Sephie, Splinter, Donatello and James would go and talk to Monalisa one more time, hoping to convince her to come back home with them. They all just hoped that nothing had gone horribly wrong by the time they got there.

But it wasn't just that that gnawed at their minds. James and Splinter had never seen the Zerg before, and despite the descriptions and explanations of those that had, they still didn't really know what to expect. Tyroth, Sephie and Donatello were also anxious, but less so about the Zerg and more about meeting Monalisa again, since she had basically exiled them all last any of them had met, and Sephie especially was very hesitant, something that Splinter easily noticed on their walk there.

"What troubles you, my child?" he asked as they walked.

"I'm… I'm just worried about meeting Mona again, afraid that she's still angry with me after last night. And I guess… that I haven't really recovered from what she said to me."

"Sometimes, words can truly cut as deep as any blade, and yet those wounds can take the longest to heal."

"I can attest to that."

"You don't have to come along if it makes you feel uncomfortable, babe." said Tyroth, placing a hand of comfort on her shoulder. "We all understand."

"I know, but I have to do this. I have to confront Mona again, I can't let her get to me, not if we want to get her back."

"That's very strong of you." said Donatello. "Let's just hope that she's had time to calm down since then."

"And that she will listen to us." said James as they rounded another corner.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Foot HQ, Arden was receiving reports from the groups of ninja that had been dispatched to hunt down Monalisa and Lee, but they weren't good news.

"Not a sign of her… she must have reached their hideout…" he muttered, fearful of what his master, the Shredder, would do to him as punishment for failing him. "I must find her again, I just must! She holds far too many secrets that I'm on the verge of obtaining. I should have sent out the Venomous Five instantly as well, they should have been able to track her down quickly enough. Better do that right now then, before-"

Arden was cut off by the sound of his phone buzzing and he quickly answered, hoping that it was good news.

"Speak!" he said impatiently.

"Master, I think I'm on the lizard whore's tracks." the ninja whispered over the phone.

"Speak up! I can barely hear you!" Arden commanded.

"Sorry, sir, but I can't do that." the ninja whispered. "I found blood leading down into the sewers, where I also found a few bloodied kunai and shuriken."

"Then she must be down there somewhere."

"Yes, but there's more. I'm currently shadowing a group of the freaks, and they were talking about going to this Mona."

"Ah, that is excellent news, they will lead us straight to her, and possibly their hideout too. Which mutants are there?"

"The rat, one of the turtles, the other lizard whore, a… monkey I think… and the dragon."

"The dragon's back again?!" Arden exclaimed. "This complicate things even further. Keep them in your sights, and give me your exact location."

"Hai, sir. My location is- 'Crunch!'"

"Ninja? Report! Answer me!"

But no response came, with one exception, an aggressive but all to familiar growl that sent chills down the doctor's spine and made his hair stand on end, and after that, the phone went completely dead. The fate of the ninja was crystal clear.

* * *

"That takes care of him." Tyroth snarled, lighting his hands on fire to clean them from the blood he had gotten on them after crushing the ninja's head, as well as the phone after that.

"Good thing we noticed him in time." said Sephie.

"Yeah, I sure don't want to think of what the Foot might do if they got hold of Zerg DNA." said Donatello, shivering at the very thought.

"From what I heard, it sounded like he actually was after Mona, rather than us." said James. "So that begs the question; do they know of them already, or is there another reason?"

"He was talking with Arden, and with him you never really know." said Tyroth. "He's been hunting Mona for her healing ability for years, me too for that matter."

"And that's not all, he's also after your other abilities." said Donatello. "But he certainly holds a grudge towards Mona, after she threw acid in his face, ruining half of it."

"Regardless of their motives, we must not let our enemies get to Monalisa before us." said Splinter. "These Zerg need to be kept a secret from them, at least for now."

"Agreed. I just hope that Mona can see that as well." said Tyroth. "Come on, it's not far now, though you and James may want to brace yourself, master Splinter."

* * *

A few minutes later, the group reached the entrance of the tunnel that lead to Monalisa's hive cluster, and they were met by a couple of drones that just left to gather more resources. After the Zerg had become known to the turtles and friends, Monalisa hadn't bothered with them avoiding the mutants or Donatello's cameras any more.

Once they reached the end of the tunnel, both Splinter and James recoiled a bit at the sight of the giant organism that was the entirety of the hive cluster, with all the Zerg moving around among the large bio-structures.

"Even with everything you have told us so far, there was no way for me to be properly prepared for such a sight." said James as he tried to take everything in. "They really look demonic and monstrous."

"Yeah, I know." said Tyroth. "Just don't say that within earshot of any of them, and remember, in the eyes of most humans, we would look just as monstrous."

"Well said, Tyroth." said Splinter. "Now, let us find Monalisa."

* * *

Monalisa sat with her back against her hatchery, mentally following Lee's work on the 'blueprint' for her new and improved body, while also maintaining a watchful eye on the rest of her swarm with Dana at her side. The second hatchery was already busy producing larvas, which all morphed into more overlords, zerglings, roaches, hydralisks and arclisks, with a handful of zerglings morphing further into so called Banelings, all in preparation for the attack on the Foot.

It wasn't long left. Only a couple of hours more and the attack would commence.

Her thoughts were however interrupted as she received visual input from several of her overlords floating above, all of them having spotted intruders within her domain. And she could identify them as easily through the eyes of her overlords as if she had seen them with her own eyes.

"They dare return?" she half growled, getting up on her feet. Summoning a group of ten zerglings and two hydralisks to her side, she began walking towards the unwanted visitors. "They better have a good reason for disturbing me. Dana, follow me. Lee, keep working but stay out of sight for now."

"As you command, my Queen."

" _Affirmative."_

* * *

Back with the mutants, near the spawning pool, they found their path blocked by two dozen zerglings, all of which hissed and growled, but not aggressively, but rather defensively, making it clear that the mutants were tolerated but not allowed to proceed any further.

Shortly after, Monalisa and her entourage walked into view, with the zerglings moving aside for her, their eyes never leaving the mutants.

"What do you want?" she asked coldly, her stern gaze sweeping across the group. Splinter couldn't help but wince ever so slightly at just how different his adoptive daughter sounded. The damaged and bloodied clothes she wore also gave everyone that same feeling of unease, though both Donatello and Tyroth noticed that they looked even worse since last they saw her.

"I thought that I had made it clear that you're not welcome here."

"Please, Mona." Tyroth said, raising his hands in a non hostile manner. "We're not here to argue with you. We just want you to come back home, to the lair."

"And why would I want that? You clearly can't stand my Zerg, so why would I be any different to you?"

"Because we are your family, Monalisa" said Splinter.

"And your friends!" Sephie cut in. "That will never change, and we all miss you like crazy."

"As for the Zerg, we simply don't know enough about them to be able to trust them." said James. "They are a great unknown, and it is natural to fear the unknown. Just like humans fear us because they don't understand us."

"But we want to understand." said Donatello. "Understand them, and you, and if you're set on using them, which it seems you are, then we won't stop you. All we ask is that you practice some restraint with them for the time and come back to the lair with us, while the Zerg stay here, at least for now, and they can help us keep the city safe later."

Monalisa had to admit that she was a little surprised over what her friends and family were saying. She had hoped that they would accept the Zerg when she revealed them, but with how they had reacted when she had been forced to do that, she didn't think they would come around until after the Foot had been vanquished.

"And if I go back with you? Then what? Will you try to 'cure' me, turn me back to the way I was before the Zerg?" she asked.

"I won't deny it, that's what I would want." said Sephie. "But no, we won't. Not unless you want us to."

"We would still like to study the changes to your body, with your permission of course." said James.

"Like we said, we need to learn more, to understand this situation." said Donatello. "And you can help us with that."

"No one wishes to harm you, my child. We only want what is best for you, to the best of our knowledge." said Splinter.

"So what do you say, Mona? We're willing to extend our hands in this, are you willing to do the same?" Tyroth asked.

Once again, Monalisa let her gaze sweep across the mutants, and a small smile formed on her lips.

"It makes me very happy to hear you say all this, and that you've finally come to your senses." she began, walking over to the spawning pool and looking into the green ooze it contained. Then she got a message from Lee.

" _New sequences completed. Further evolution ready. Enter spawning pool to begin. Chrysalis will form around Queen."_

"But sadly, it's just a bit too late for that." she said, looking back at the mutants.

"What? What do you mean by that?" Sephie asked.

"Had you said this a day earlier, I would gladly have take you up on this offer, but now… The Foot are just too large of a threat to both us and the city, and I have to deal with them, for good."

With that, Monalisa hoisted herself over the edge and stepped into centre of the spawning pool, the ooze reaching up to her waist.

"Mona? What are you doing?" Donatello asked with wide eyes.

"Everyone stay back." she said coldly. "The pool is filled with viruses. Mere contact with the ooze is enough to infest you."

"But what about you?! Get out of there!" Sephie cried out.

"I'm already infested, and this is my swarm, I am in control of everything. And now, it's time for me to evolve."

Several thin walls of flesh rose up from the depths of the ooze, wrapping and closing themselves around Monalisa like the closed petals of a flower, completely sealing her inside the chrysalis.

"My daughter, no!"

"Mona!" the others cried out in protest, but to no avail, there was no response from the gently pulsating chrysalis.

"No… please no…" Sephie whimpered, tears falling from her eyes. Blinking them away, she turned to Dana, glaring daggers at the infested human. "You! Dana! What the hell's going on?! What is she doing?! Answer me!"

Dana looked at Sephie, then at the chrysalis, hoping to receive instructions on what she was allowed to say, but she didn't. She didn't get as much as a single word from her Queen, and she couldn't reach her either, it was as if Monalisa had sealed off her mind from the hive mind, which meant that at that moment, Dana was the undisputed leader of the Swarm, and she could do whatever she wanted.

So she told the truth.

"Sephie, do you remember when we last met, and you talked to the Queen through me?"

"What about it?!"

"The reason for her not being here, was that she had gone topside. There, she was ambushed and captured by the Foot."

"What?!"

"Crap! That's really bad!" said Donatello, fear about the Foot getting hold of Zerg DNA resurfacing.

"She was never in any real danger, and she escaped when she got the chance. But not without injuries, and not without the Foot acquiring her DNA."

"And what has that to do with her doing… that?" James asked, gesturing towards the chrysalis.

"As most of you know, she has a special hatred for the Foot, for what they've done to her in the past."

"I can certainly relate to that." Tyroth growled, remembering his own experiences with Foot experiments and the like.

"That is one of the reasons, and together with the threat the Foot pose, and they now possessing Zerg DNA, our Queen has decided to eliminate them before they can use what they've gained. And for that, she wants a stronger body."

"Why are you telling us all this?" Splinter asked.

"You all clearly care for her, and wants to protect her, just like the Swarm wants to protect their Queen. So I think that you deserve to know."

"And what about you then?" asked Tyroth, frowning deeply.

"Before my Queen… before Mona saved me, offered me a new life, I was a member of the Purple Dragons. I admit that she was the one that attacked us first, but she still saw something in me that made her spare me and offer me a second chance, and with how much our gang had hurt her in the past, that was a mercy I didn't deserve. And I am far happier with my life now than I ever was before, despite what I told myself back then. I owe her my life, and I will gladly give it for her."

The mutants all exchanged looks, all wondering just what they would do.

"So what's the plan?" James asked, rubbing his nose bridge. "This didn't at all turn out as I had imagined."

"No kidding." said Donatello. "Honestly, I don't know if there is anything we can do at this point."

"Then maybe it is for the best that we return home." said Splinter in a solemn tone.

"But… Mona…" said Sephie, looking back at the chrysalis. "Are we just gonna leave her like that?"

"I am afraid so, my child. And my heart hurt as much as yours at that idea. This is nothing we do lightly."

"Most definitely not." said Tyroth. "And as much as I hate it, I think that we have to let this play out before we can get Mona back with us."

"Tyroth's right." Donatello agreed. "If the Foot have Zerg DNA now, they are a far greater threat than ever before, possibly even to themselves as well. If Mona can remove that threat, then… then we don't have any other choice."

"Indeed. I've seen enough sci-fi movies to know how this could end." said James. "Either they get such a powerful advantage that they become unstoppable, or they unwillingly unleash something upon the city, possibly even the world, that makes the ten plagues of Egypt look like childish pranks by comparison. Mona and her swarm are our best bet at stopping any of from happening."

"I suppose…" Sephie sighed. "I just pray that she doesn't become a greater threat herself in the process."

"As do we all, Sephie." said Splinter, placing a paw on her shoulder. "As do we all…"

 **And that would most certainly be the point of no return for Mona. And the others were so close to being able to get everything under control too.**

 **But Mona is dead set on dealing with the Foot, and with them possessing her Zerg DNA, that may just be justified.**

 **Note: The mention of Mona throwing acid in Arden's face is from 'A Warrior's Journey', and Tyroth remembering being experiment on is from 'A Dangerous Captive', both incredibly good stories by my good friend and co-writer Bloodrayne666. You'll find her stories among my favourites from my profile.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

 **The Final Countdown**

It was with heavy hearts that the group made it back to the lair, their effort to convince Monalisa to return together with them having been too late, and they had some very difficult news to break to the others.

"Guys, you're back!" they heard from Jack, as he and Leonardo met them in the entrance.

"But… Mona's not with you?" said Leonardo upon seeing that his adopted sister was still missing. "She didn't want to listen?"

"No, she listened to us…" said James. "But we were too late to change her mind."

"So she's staying there? Bummer." said Jack, scratching his head.

"I am afraid that it is far worse than so." Splinter sighed, his head slightly lowered.

"That doesn't sound good. How bad is it?" said Leonardo.

"Really bad, Leo, really bad." said Tyroth. "Gather up the rest and we'll try to explain."

"Damn, I don't like the sound of this." said Jack.

* * *

A few minutes later, the adults had all gathered in the kitchen, together with Sonia and Pandora. The Geckolings and Kemeko had been put to bed for their nap, which they needed after all the playing they had done. Raphael had hoped that Pandora could have been kept outside this meeting, but she had refused to go anywhere else, wanting to get her mother back, and her presence made it so much harder for Tyroth and the others to tell the rest what had happened.

"Mommy didn't want to come back, did she?" Pandora asked, her voice filled with sadness and a few tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She had hoped with all her heart that Monalisa would have come home with the others.

"It's not that she didn't want to, little Geisha." said Donatello. "It's more that… she can't come home, not right now."

"Why not?"

"Remember all those bad guys that your parents, uncles and grandfather have told you about? The Foot clan?" Tyroth asked, and Pandora nodded. "Well, she wants to make them all go away before she feels that she can come back home again. She don't want them to be able to hurt you, or anyone else for that matter."

"So… when they are gone… she will come back?"

"We hope so, Pandora." said Sephie.

"I hope so too..."

"Come, Pandora. Let's go and do something else while the grown ups keep talking. It's so boring anyway." Sonia said, taking Pandora's hand and gently leading the smaller mutant to the TV-area, while also giving the adults a quick wink.

"What are we going to do?" Pandora asked.

"How about we get some paper, glitter glue, colour pens and such, and we make something nice that you can give your Mom when she comes back? I think she would love that."

"Okay, Sonia."

"Clever girl." Tyroth said with a faint smile as the two mutants got out of earshot.

"So, how bad is it? Really." said Raphael, feeling dread of the answer forming within.

"It's outright horrible." said Donatello. "Just as it seemed like we had gotten through to Mona, she told us what we just told you, that she must deal with the Foot first, and very soon too."

"And seeing as they now have access to Zerg DNA, I understand the urgency." said James. "After hearing what they've done so far; the clones and crossbreeds of Tyroth, the Vampire bats, and the Venomous Five, what they could do with the Zerg, it just boggles the mind."

"And Mona is going to take them on by herself?" asked Sarah. "That's outright suicide!"

"She will have the Zerg at her side, so she'll be at least somewhat protected, but this is still not the worst part." said Tyroth, his stomach turning slightly as he didn't really want the others to know, especially not Raphael, but they needed to all the same.

"Then what is?!" said Raphael. "What could possibly be worse than what you've already told me?!"

"Raph, Mona isn't herself any more, not biologically at least." Donatello began.

"And what is that supposed to mean?!"

"Just after she told us her plans, she waded into that big pool of green ooze… and a cocoon, for a lack of better words, rose up and swallowed her."

"What?!"

"She, and Dana as well, told us that she was undergoing some form of evolution," Tyroth continued. "to become more powerful. Enough so to take on the Foot."

"As it is, we don't know to what degree she will change, but given how different this Dana was from a normal human, we guess that Mona will undergo some very extensive changes. She might even be unrecognisable to us." said Donatello.

Everyone was shocked by the news, but Raphael took it worse by far. For a while, he just stared at his hands, clenching them into fists so hard that his knuckles started to turn white. Then he got up from the table, so forcibly that he tipped over his chair as he stormed out of the kitchen.

"Raph! Wait!" Sephie called out as she darted after him, just barely getting past him and blocking his way.

"Out of my way, Sephie! I'm getting my mate back, no matter what!" he snarled, but the gecko stood her ground.

"You need to calm down, before you do something you'll regret."

"Calm down!? Don't you dare tell me what to do! I'm going to Mona, and you can't stop me!"

With that, Raphael shoved Sephie aside, but she quickly grabbed him by his wrist as he did, and in the blink of an eye, she spun around and tossed him over her shoulder judo-style, leaving him on his back on the floor. Before he could get back up, Sephie placed a foot on his plastron.

"Listen, I know how you feel, and trust me, I wouldn't let anything stop me if I were in your position, which we all saw when Tyroth had been captured by the Foot all those years ago. But take it from me, if you go off like this, you're bound to do something stupid."

"She's right, Raph." said Leonardo. "Right now, we can't do anything for Mona, not while she's in that cocoon."

"If we try to bust her out of it, we might hurt her badly, or even outright kill her." said Tyroth. "Not to mention what could happen you us if we so much as touch that ooze. For now, as much as I hate to say it, all we can do is wait for her 'evolution' to finish, see what happens next, and deal with the Foot before they can put the Zerg DNA to use. After that, maybe we can talk some sense into Mona, and hopefully return her to normal."

"And besides, you still have to look after Pandora." said Michelangelo. "How do you think she'd feel if she lost you too?"

Raphael sighed deeply as the words of his friends and family sunk in, and tears began to fall. He missed Monalisa so much that it hurt, more than any form of wound or torture he had experienced before, and he just wanted her to come back to him, to be able to hold her and feel the touch of her scales and her scent.

Sephie quickly removed her foot and helped the broken turtle back on his feet, just in time for Michelangelo and Sharky to put Raphael's arms around their necks to support him.

"Come on, bro. Let's get you back to your room." said Michelangelo as he and the shark began guiding the turtle through the lair.

"Yeah, some rest will do you good."

As the shark and two turtles walked away, Sephie and the rest all sighed at the sight of poor Raphael.

"Poor guy." Heather said as she put the tipped chair back where it belonged.

"Yeah." said Sephie, sitting down by the table again. "He's in a lot of pain, emotionally, and I understand that pain. And with how I acted when I was like that, we should keep guard, just to make sure he don't run off as soon as he gets the chance."

"I can take the first watch." said Amber.

"And I'll keep you company." said Percy.

"A wise decision." said Splinter. "Now, all we can do, is wait."

* * *

In Arden's laboratory, the evil doctor was continuing his work analysing the new samples of Monalisa's blood. It was all he could do at the moment, as the only ninja to have discovered traces of the escaped Monalisa had met his end, all evidence pointing towards that it was at the hands of the powerful dragon.

More ninja had been directed into the sewers, but they had yet to report any kind of news, aside from the dead body of the other ninja. Arden hoped that they would be able to track the other mutants to wherever they hid, but he had no such luck.

Arden nervously touched his right cheek, the healthy one where the Shredder had cut him earlier as a warning. The wound had healed long ago, thanks to the healing serums that he held, but it was still fresh in memory. If he couldn't find and recapture Monalisa, his master would punish him for his failure, and after reading the old reports on how the Shredder had punished Stockman, Arden was indeed terrified of what might come.

The sound of the doors to the lab opening snapped the doctor out of his chain of thoughts, and looking in that direction, he saw Arashi walking over to him.

"Our master is getting impatient, William. Do you have any news?" Arashi said.

"Sadly, no, master Arashi. One of our ninja believed that he was on Monalisa's trail, but he was killed before he could tell me more."

"Killed? By Monalisa?"

"No... by the dragon."

"He's in town again?!" Arashi asked in shock. "Are you sure?"

"I will never forget his growls and roars, not after him nearly killing us both. I still have nightmares about our encounters with him from time to time."

"As do I, William. But if he's here now, and Monalisa have gotten powers of her own…"

"If they decide to attack us together, our chances for survival are slim to none, at best. Which is why I've kept working on Monalisa's DNA while the ninja search for her, so that I can create more of the monster ninja. Hopefully, with enough of them, we will be able to fight back."

"Then I will make sure that you get the subjects you need, doctor. I just hope for your sake that you find Monalisa soon, for if she and the dragon don't make a move, you can be certain that master Shredder will."

* * *

Not long thereafter, a patrol of six ninja met up after searching through the sewers near where their comrade had been killed, going over if any had found any tracks or the like. But before they really got the chance to discuss any eventual findings, a seventh ninja ran up to them, claiming that he had found something.

After following him for a good five minutes, the group found a tunnel leading deeper into the underground. A short walk down the tunnel later, they found the Zerg hive cluster, and they didn't know what to think about the alien creatures and buildings that they saw in front of them.

Carefully and as stealthy as they could, they made their way down to the creep covered ground, trying to get a better look at it all, for they knew that their masters would want them to gather as much information about these creatures as possible at some point, so they might as well do it while they were already there.

Careful not to step on the creep, they kept gazing ahead of them, spotting many different creatures moving among the large bio-structures, and many floating high above it all as well. But as they were busy taking pictures and notes of the creatures, one burst out of the ground behind them, making them all turn around with their weapons drawn.

It was about four feet tall and almost as wide, walking on four clawed legs only a few inches above ground, its head had a mouth with many sharp teeth and a pair of tusked mandibles, but lacked any kind of eyes. Three large segments of carapace, each with increasingly large green blisters, the smallest being roughly the size of a soccer-ball, ran up its back and partially onto its abdomen. The abdomen itself looked like a giant blob-like blister, being larger than the rest of the creature and just as green as the smaller ones, and all of them pulsated and convulsed somewhat from time to time.

But as the seven ninja held their weapons in front of them, ready to defend themselves long enough to escape if needed, the creature didn't seem to notice them at all. It just strolled around for a while, almost leisurely so, scratching the ground in front of it every now and then with its claws.

This went on for several minutes, and the ninja began to lower their weapons slightly so they could take some pictures of the strange creature, though they still had them drawn. As they studied the creature, it kept moving around, and soon was in the middle of the group of ninja.

Just where it wanted to be.

Without any warning, the creature, a Zerg Baneling to be specific, exploded, its body getting torn to tiny pieces by the force of the highly pressurised, green acid inside of it, and it sprayed all over the seven ninja.

The baneling's purpose was to be a suicide attacker, and occasionally used as a living landmine, capable of taking out entire squads of soldiers in power armour and breaking through fortifications with its powerful acid, even upon its own death by others.

What little armour the ninja wore, if any, protected them as much from the acid, as a sheet of paper would from a flamethrower, and the seven men died quickly, but still in horrific pain for those short moments that they held on to life while their bodies were melted away, leaving only puddles of dissolved biomass, plastics, minerals and metals on the now smoother cave floor, as the acid had dissolved a thin layer of that too.

* * *

Above, several overlords floated around, seemingly without purpose, but through them, Dana and Lee had discovered the ninja the moment the overlords caught sight of them, and dealt with them accordingly. No-one would disturb their Queen, not when she was so close to being reborn.

Looking over at the spawning pool, and the chrysalis that it held, Dana saw that it had grown slightly larger and the skin had hardened. It wasn't long left before their Queen would emerge from it, in her new body, one worthy that of the Queen of the Zerg.

* * *

Inside the chrysalis, Monalisa floated peacefully in the green liquid, like an unborn child within its mother's stomach, completely unaware of the outside world.

But the peace would not last. Her fingers twitched, and her eyelids began to flutter as she started to awaken.

Suddenly her eyes opened wide and burned with an orange light.

From the outside, the chrysalis could be seen glowing orange on the inside, and cracks began to form and spread across its hard surface, the green liquid seeping out.

With a primal scream, the chrysalis was shattered from within as Monalisa emerged, a flood of orange energy emanating from her and illuminating the entire cavern, the force causing the very rock to shake.

Zerg of all strains growled and shrilled and hissed as they lowered themselves, while Dana and Lee both dropped to their knees, all in awe and terror of their new, reborn Queen.

* * *

The surface wasn't spared the effects of Monalisa's rebirth. Dark storm clouds gathered and started to spiral right above where the hive cluster was located, thunder roaring and flashes of lightning lighting up the night sky.

This disturbance was also witnessed by the Shredder, Oroku Saki, who was looking out from a window of the throne-room, as the unforeseen storm raged outside. On the table next to him stood a cup of sake, ripples coursing throughout the liquid that had been perfectly still only moments earlier.

Something big was happening, that much was certain to him.

 **The team sure don't have many options left now, something that Raph ain't too happy about, which is understandable. Good thing that Sephie and the others remember how Sephie herself acted back in Bloodrayne666's story 'A Dangerous Captive'. That is also where the crossbreeds and clones mentioned are from, while the vampire bats are from her story 'All Hallows Threat!'**

 **But man, things are about to get real now! Mona has just emerged in her new form, which I will describe in greater detail next chapter. Her emergence is also based on the original Queen of Blades' rebirth in Heart of the Swarm.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

 **Zerg Rush! Kekeke!**

Levitating in the air above the spawning pool, Monalisa surveyed her swarm through the eyes of her new and improved body.

She had the same general body shape as before, but with several key changes.

Most of her skin was thicker and more leather-like scales than before and a darker green than her old scales, though her feet, arms, neck and head were still her normal colour. Her stomach and crotch were covered in many segments of more flexible carapace, and her breasts were similar to those of Dana, lacking nipples and being more a physical memory than anything else.

The tail also had segmented carapace, with a small number of finger-long quills growing along the top ridge. Her hair had been replaced with long and slender tendrils, while all her nails had become dark and claw-like. Many inch-long thorns grew from her shoulders, and a few from her hips, made from the same brown material as the thicker carapace that covered her shins, which were also very thorny.

On each of her forearms grew a large dark claw that reached just past her knuckles, but as she flexed her new body, the claws extended another four inches before retracting again.

From her shoulder blades, a pair of large, grey bone wings extended, lacking any form of membranes of feathers, they weren't for flight, but rather for combat, as each of the wings' three spear-like 'fingers' were able to rip right through virtually anything that got in their way.

Feeling the power coursing through her body, Monalisa grinned, showing that her teeth had become far sharper, and as the glow in her eyes faded, the irises were revealed to be a strong orange, while the whites were dark, almost black like a void.

"Welcome back to us, my Queen." she heard Dana say, and she quickly found both her and Lee kneeling several feet in front of her, together with a large part of the rest of her Zerg.

"Evolution successful." Lee stated. "New Queen far superior to old one. Worthy of true Queen."

"Indeed." Monalisa said, clenching her fists and causing them to glow with orange energy. "Mmm, I thought that I knew power before, but that was nothing to what I have now."

"You truly radiate with power, far more than before. As Lee said, you are a true Queen now."

"I am. And my Swarm, I take it that you have nurtured it in my absence."

"Affirmative."

"We await only your command, my Queen. Say the word and we will march on the Foot's base."

"The word is given. The Foot dies tonight." Monalisa said. "You and Lee will remain here with a small number of Zerg, and whatever more you breed, to defend the hive cluster, while I personally lead the assault on the Foot HQ."

"As you command. Our lives for the Swarm, for you, our Queen."

* * *

Back in the lair, right before Monalisa had emerged from her cocoon, the mutants were trying to carry on as usual, as there were little else they could do.

Amber and Percy had just been relieved of their guard duty as Jack and Leonardo took over. Until they were certain that Raphael was stable enough, they would keep an eye on him, as much for his sake as for theirs.

As the wolf and turtle were small talking in low voices to help pass the time, Leonardo suddenly stopped and looked around with a look on his face that was equally confused and worried.

"Leo? What's up?" Jack asked.

"I… just felt… something…"

"Felt something? What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't like it."

"So it was a… 'disturbance in the force' kind of thing?"

"That's one way of describing it, but yeah."

"Well, shit. That can't be good."

"No, it sure can't be. I'd better tell master Splinter. Can you keep watch on your own for a few minutes, Jack?"

"No problems, Leo." Jack said and moved so that he was leaning against the door. "If Raph opens this door, I'll notice and call out right away."

* * *

In another area of the lair, both Splinter and Tyroth were meditating when they felt the disturbance as well.

"That was… worrying." the dragon said.

"Indeed, and I fear what it might bring."

"Master Splinter!" they heard Leonardo call out as he hurried over to his sensei and dragon friend. "I just felt something."

"As did we, my son. It is a sign of grave danger walking our world."

"It was Mona. Her 'evolution' must be complete now." said Tyroth.

"How can you be certain?" Leonardo asked.

"I don't know about you guys, but I could feel that it was her. Probably because I'm a dragon, we are more sensitive to certain things after all."

"We will take your word for it, Tyroth." the old rat said. "And if she has reawaken, then she will most likely march on the Foot soon."

"And we're basically powerless to stop her, and yet, for the sake of everyone, we must let her do this, or the Foot may reign supreme in the end." said Leonardo.

"Right now, Mona's the lesser of two evils. Let's just hope that we can turn her away from that path once she's done." said Tyroth, thinking for a moment. "Maybe I should head topside and observe all this."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Leonardo.

"Not in the slightest. But… I want to be nearby, just on the off chance that she'll need help, or have to be talked down before she goes too far."

"A sound decision. Let us just hope that it will be enough." said Splinter.

"Should more of us come too?" Leonardo asked. "It could help if we need to talk some sense into her."

"It probably could, but I'd rather do this alone." said Tyroth. "With my powers of flight, fire and magic, I can get in and out quickly while also being able to defend myself better than anyone else should things go bad. No need to put more of you in danger than necessary."

"Okay, just make sure to stay in touch."

"You got my word, Leo."

* * *

Meanwhile, Monalisa was marching her swarm through the sewers towards the Foot HQ. Once they had gotten inside, the plan was very simple; kill everyone.

Simple and effective, and no matter what the Foot would do, they wouldn't be able to defeat the Zerg, and even if they somehow would manage that, they would never survive Monalisa herself.

Those were the thoughts in Monalisa's head, and she would stick to that plan. Soon, the greatest thorn in her side would be gone forever, and she would make sure that there would be no one left to take their place.

Eventually, they reached the brick wall that was the outer layer of the deepest level of the Foot building. There were still several more layers of concrete, bricks and steel to breach before one would get inside, and digging ones way through it all would take a very long time.

But not for the Zerg. Without a word, Monalisa sent a group of her roaches to deal with the wall, their acid attack eating its way through it all at an alarming rate. It would only take a few minutes before they would have their entrance, and then Monalisa's army, consisting of over two hundred zerglings, thirty roaches, forty hydralisks, twenty arclisks, and thirty banelings, would pour into the building like a flood breaking through a dam, and with Lee's memories of the area, there were very few places that they didn't know about, few places where their foes could hide.

After a few minutes, the new tunnel was almost completed, only a thin layer of bricks remained, but rather than letting the roaches continue, Monalisa ordered them to stop and get out of her way. Channelling her psionic powers, she threw a Kinetic Blast at what remained of the wall, blasting it apart, and all her Zerg instantly rushed forward.

* * *

The ninja that were on the other side of the wall never even got a chance to comprehend what was happening, as a large portion of the wall had suddenly exploded and monsters poured out from the hole and swarmed them like locust, claws and teeth ripping them apart, acid dissolving them, spikes impaling them and bolts electrocuting them. Within seconds, all ninja on the lowest floor was slaughtered, with death as the only mercy given, and that was still only a part of the full force.

With the entrance secured, Monalisa ordered her army onwards to cleanse each floor on their way up, with a group of forty zerglings running ahead of the rest, having a different mission to accomplish. She knew that if the odds were far too stacked against the leaders of the Foot, they would flee, and she would have to hunt them down, something that would take time, time that she didn't want to spend on them. She could do little about any hidden pathways without tearing down the entire building, and Lee didn't have any information about them, but she could remove the Foot's helicopters, which was what the group of zerglings she had dispatched was going to do.

They rushed up staircase after staircase, cutting through any doors or ninja that were in their path with their razor-sharp claws, but there were still ninja that saw what was going on, that were far away enough to be spared as they weren't in the way, and before the zerglings were halfway, the alarm was sounded.

But by then, it was already too late.

Any form of security measures just weren't enough to stop the Zerg. Sealed doors designed to contain fires and intruders alike only slowed them down, and only by a little, and any ninja that tried to stop them were a nuisance at most.

The doors to the hangar was torn apart and shredded by the zerglings' claws, and the forty zerglings made bee-lines for the helicopters that it held, completely ignoring any of the ninja that didn't pose an immediate threat, which none did at that moment. Before long, the helicopters had been reduced to scrap metal, and any remaining vehicles followed soon after, robbing the Foot of not only a means of escape, but also several of their strongest weapons, and dozens of ninja and Foot engineers and mechanics.

* * *

"What is going on?!" Oroku Saki asked demandingly as the alarms rang throughout the building. "Arashi! Get me a status report! Now!"

"I'm trying, master!" Arashi responded, holding a walkie-talkie. "But there's so much chatter on the radio, that it's hard to make out what's going on! However, it does seem that we are under attack."

"Under attack? By who? The turtles?"

"Unclear, master, but it seems like… the ninja speak of some form of… bug monsters…?"

"Bug monsters? Have they lost their minds?"

"I don't know, master, but there so many screaming about it, and I have heard what sounds like some kinds of animals, but I don't recognise them. Wait… I just received reports that all our flight-capable vehicles have been destroyed!"

"What?! How?!"

"Again, something about bug monsters."

"Find out what we're up against and wipe them out! Send every ninja we have against them, and all of Arden's pets! Then find out where the hell they came from!"

"Hai, master!"

* * *

By the time that the Shredder had given the orders, no less than seven floors from the bottom up had fallen to the Zerg, all of them completely purged of any non-Zerg life. The ninja fought bravely, but to no avail, they were no match for the Swarm's great numbers and superior weapons.

Blades would snap against the thick carapace. Projectiles thrown and shot at the Zerg bounced off. Nets and chains were all ripped through with ease. And despite how nimble the ninja could be, they were not fast enough to avoid all of the Zergs' attacks.

And amidst it all stood Monalisa, revelling at the slaughter on the inside. So long had the Foot hunted her and her loved ones, and hurt them, and so many times had their leaders almost succeeded at killing one of the mutants.

Never again. After this night, the Foot, and its leaders, would be gone forever.

 **Bwahahaha! Monalisa has finaly achieved her final form, which is heavily inspired by the original Queen of Blades, and now she has taken the fight to the Foot, and taken out a means of escape for them as well. I'm pretty sure we all know how it wil end for all those poor ninja.  
**

 **Meanwhile, Tyroth is on his way to check out how things are going. Feels like he'll be little more than a sports commentator of sorts for this though.**

 **As for the title, well... If you don't understand it, just google 'Zerg rush' and you'll get it. :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**First off, I'm gonna give you your only warning for this chapter. This chapter contains more violence, blood, gore and death than basically the rest of this story up to this point combined, and graphic such too! Not for the faint of heart!**

 **If you can't handle that, then what are you doing reading this story in the first place?**

 **If you're fine with it, then sit back and enjoy the slaughter.**

 **Chapter 27**

 **Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Swarmed**

Tyroth was flying high above the city, circling around the Foot HQ from a safe distance while keeping his eyes open for anything out of the ordinary, occasionally using a pair of binoculars to take a closer look.

" _Anything yet, Tyroth?"_ Donatello asked through the earpiece.

" _Yeah, tell us what's going on out there."_ said a more impatient Michelangelo.

"Not much to tell, guys." the dragon responded. "All their windows are still those one-way mirror kinds, so I can't see what's going on inside. But I haven't seen any form of guards on the outside, or any ninja at all for that matter."

" _There should always be guards on duty."_ said Amber. _"I remember that from my…_ _from my_ _time on their side."_

" _We've also faced our fair share of guards whenever we've tried to get in there."_ said Leonardo.

"I faced quite a lot myself when I did too." said Tyroth. "Any update on Raph?"

" _I'm right here, T."_

"I can hear that. Feeling better?"

" _A little, yeah, but I still want my mate back."_

"Trust me, we all want that. But so far-" Tyroth was interrupted when he saw that one of the many windows was shattered by a ninja being thrown out through it with great force. "Hold up, a ninja was just thrown out through a window."

" _For real? Is he still alive?"_ Sephie asked.

"Based on how tough those reinforced windows are, which I've learned by breaking them myself, and the fact that he was on the twentieth or so floor, I'd say no. But at least I can get a closer look on what's going on inside now. Just gonna get into a better position."

Flying in a bit closer and at an altitude that was level to the broken window, Tyroth could see clearly what was happening beyond the glass, with the aid of the binoculars, and he didn't like what he saw.

"By Helheim…" he gasped.

" _Is it that bad?"_ Amber asked, worry clear in her voice.

" _By what now?"_ said Sharky, as he and the others were confused by Tyroth's expression.

" _Basically the Norse' version of Hell, but worse still."_ the marine iguana explained. _"I can explain later."_

" _Fair enough."_ said Jack. _"But what do you see, boss?"_

"The Zerg. More of them that we thought Mona had, and they are eating the Foot alive, literally in several cases, and it's just… let's just say that not even the bloodiest of gore movies would allow all of this without heavy censorship."

" _Now I'm glad that I stayed behind."_ said Heather.

"Trust me, I wish I had too, but- Whoa! Poor bastards."

" _What? What just happened?"_ Kate asked.

"Some fat kind of Zerg just rolled up to some ninja and burst apart, spraying them with what I assume was acid, as a bunch of them just melted."

" _Eww! Gross!"_ said Sephie. _"Okay, I for one don't want any more blow by blow descriptions of what's going on. Can you see Mona anywhere in that… chaos?"_

"Not as far as I can see, but I doubt that she would stay behind, she hates the Foot far too much for that, especially after what she must have gone through with the whole evolution thing."

" _Well keep keeping your eyes open for her, and stay safe, honey."_

"I'll be careful. You got my word, love."

* * *

But Tyroth wasn't able to spot Monalisa, despite his best efforts, as she was deeper inside the building, out of sight from the windows. She was currently busy with interrogating a ninja that had survived, as she had commanded it. She didn't really need to, as she could simply read the ninja's mind, but she wanted to.

"Your masters, Arden, Arashi, the Shredder, where are they?" she asked coldly as she lifted the ninja off the floor by his neck.

"Ghak…. I… won't… tell…" the ninja forced himself to say, struggling to breath because of Monalisa's grip. But that kind of defiance wouldn't work, as it only resulted in Monalisa impaling him with two of her wing-tips, one under each collarbone, making him scream out in pain, then she released her grip on his neck and lifted him all the way up to the ceiling with her wings only, blood beginning to trickle down them.

"I will not ask again. Where are they?"

"….the throne room… maybe the labs…" the ninja said through clenched teeth.

"Thank you." Monalisa said with a small smile, and an evil glint in her eyes. After lowering the ninja back to the floor, she instantly let the remaining four wing-tips impale him as well, skewering his torso and killing him instantly. As she pulled out her tips from the body, she looked around at the ongoing slaughter.

She didn't need to interrogate anyone, but it brought her pleasure to do so all the same, and she wouldn't spare anyone, every member of the Foot would die at the claws of her Swarm, which gave her just as much pleasure.

Continuing onwards, she gave new orders to her Zerg, regarding certain special targets, targets that wouldn't be harmed but contained, so that she could deal with them personally.

* * *

The Zerg forces continued to gain ground with each passing moment, and the Foot ninja died by the dozen at a time.

Zerglings tore through them with teeth and claws, forming small packs of three to five that swarmed individual ninjas and ripped apart like a school of piranhas would a piece of meat.

Arclisks dug themselves into the floors and shot bolt after bolt at any ninja in their or their allies' sight, leaving bodies behind that were roasted to a crisp.

Roaches waded into the thickest groups of ninja, their thick carapace barely being scratched by the blades of their foes, while their own cut them down one per chop, and their acid spray melted holes straight through both ninja and concrete below them.

The hydralisks could easily cut any ninja to ribbons with their scythe-like claws, but it were the spines that they fired that claimed the most lives, as not even the quick ninja could dodge those supersonic projectiles.

Wherever the Foot had tried to barricade themselves, the banelings made short work of them, the acid filled suicide attack completely dissolving whatever that was caught in the radius, including the floor underneath, so they were used sparingly, but the horrific gurgles of ninja being melted alive still echoed throughout the hallways.

And through all that, their Queen, Monalisa, walked with an authority that rivalled, or even surpassed, that of the leaders of the Foot. She answered to no one, and would stop at nothing to kill the ones that would do her and her family harm. Some ninja were unlucky enough to get in her way as she walked towards her destinations, and they were easily dispatched, barely enough of a threat to even notice, like a bug on a windshield.

She had bigger pests to deal with, and those were hers alone.

* * *

Several floors above, the Venomous Five had been summoned to deal with the intruders, and had gathered in one of the many dojos together with a large group of ninja. They didn't really know what they were dealing with, but they learned that soon enough.

When the Zerg found them, the battle started instantly, and the ninja died like flies, the Zerg both outnumbering and overpowering them, but the five mutants were left alone, despite their own efforts to engage in the fight. The Zerg actively avoided attacking the Venomous Five, and whenever the mutants tried to attack the Zerg, they just pulled back, yet if the mutants tried to leave the dojo, the Zerg were quick to block their path.

"What's going on?" Black Mamba asked.

"Don't ask me. I'm still struggling with what they are." said Gila Monster.

"Something's not right here." said Komodo Dragon. "It feels like they're trying to herd us like sheep."

"Like lambs to the slaughter." a female voice said, and soon the infested Monalisa entered the dojo, the Zerg parting for her.

At first, the Venomous Five didn't recognise her, the more monstrous appearance of her new form being more than enough to give them pause, but once they did, their shock was almost overwhelming.

"The turtles' slut sister?!" Mamba exclaimed.

"What the hell has happened to you?!" asked Nile Monitor.

"I have evolved. And now, it is time to rid the world of you abominations."

"And you think these… freak bug pets of yours can do that? We'd have torn them apart if they weren't so scared of us." said Komodo.

"They're not scared, especially not of you. I just want to have the pleasure of killing you all myself."

"And you think you can take on all of us by yourself? Doesn't matter how you look, you can never defeat us!" said Cobra, earning a glare from Monalisa.

With no idea of what to even expect, Cobra was suddenly struck by an almost invisible Kinetic Blast of far greater power than any before it, and that was it for her. Her life was instantly extinguished, snuffed out like a candle.

For the other members of the Venomous Five, it seemed like she was there one moment, and gone the next, as her entire body exploded into a fountain of blood, with only the tiniest of fragments of bones, spraying all over the remaining four mutants.

"That's one." Monalisa said.

"C-cobra…?" Mamba stammered, shaking like a leaf as she tried to process what had just happened.

"Cobra!" Nile cried out, looking at his blood-covered body in sheer terror.

"You bitch! I'll kill you!" Gila roared and lunged at Monalisa.

He didn't get very far though, as Monalisa retaliated with her wings, the three tips of each jabbing into Gila's sides with the speed of arrows, piercing several organs and stopping him in his tracks. Still alive, if just barely, Gila coughed violently as his body desperately tried to get out the blood pooling in his lungs, all while he tried to free himself. An effort that was as futile as their lives in Monalisa eyes.

Lifting Gila as high as her wings could, Monalisa then began slamming him down into the floor time and time again. He went limp after the third impact, his neck snapped from the fifth, and blood splattered on the floor after each, seeping into the cracks that began to form in the concrete floor. After several more blows, the mutilated remains were tossed to the side, devoid of life.

"Two." Monalisa said, setting her eyes on Komodo.

But the leader of the Venomous Five wasn't going to stand idle while his team was slaughtered in front of him. He and Nile both rushed Monalisa, hoping to overpower her together.

Nile reached her first, but she easily dodged his attack and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. That did give Komodo the opening he needed as he lashed out with his claws, one strike at her face and the other at her abdomen.

But the attacks were of little use. The claws just scraped against the thin carapace covering Monalisa's stomach, and while those that his her face did leave some nasty cuts, and caused her to flinch for a brief second, they healed instantly and her reaction was little more than an old reflex. In retaliation, Monalisa swatted Komodo aside with one of her wings, sending him flying several feet and landing on his back.

Turning her attention back to the squirming Nile, Monalisa raised her other arm, the blade-claw extending to its full length. Positioning it just below his throat, she pushed it in, the razor tip easily cutting through skin, muscles and bones, then she pushed it downwards, forcing it all the way down to Nile's waist. The lizard screamed in pain, yet could do nothing to free himself from Monalisa's grip, none of his kicks and slashes even facing her. Once the cut was done, Nile was still alive but bleeding violently, many of his organs hanging out, and Monalisa proceeded by shoving her hand in through the open wound, her clawed fingers wrapping around the heart in Nile's chest, and with a yank she ripped it out, letting him die painfully over the next moments.

Dropping the corpse, Monalisa squeezed the still faintly beating heart in her hand before taking a large bite of it.

"Three." she said, licking her blood-covered lips.

Komodo had just gotten back on his feet when the bloody heart was dropped on the floor, and he didn't have any time to react before Monalisa knocked him onto his backside with her wings again, this time pinning him down by driving her wing-tips through his arms and legs, causing him to cry out in pain.

Extending one of her wrist claws, Monalisa lined took a moment to study her foe, before slashing it through Komodo's leg, the force and razor sharp edge of the blade-claw cutting it off above his ankle, making him scream even more. Then she moved to the other leg and did the same thing, taking off his other foot, before proceeding with cutting off both his hands right below the wrists.

Blood was pouring out from the open wounds, but thanks to all the serums that the Venomous Five had been given by their creator, they were already beginning to heal a bit, something that Monalisa was well aware of. Whenever a wound seemed close to stop bleeding, she slashed her claws at that limb again, cutting off another half a foot of it.

Komodo's screams echoed in the dojo, but they soon began to die off. The pain, combined with the loss of blood were taking their toll on the mutant, and his vision was slowly fading as he felt how his very life was escaping him, and he himself could not escape at all, not while he was still pinned to the floor. The last thing he saw was when Monalisa positioned herself over his chest, ready to drive the claws into his head, which she did with one fluid motion.

"Four."

Monalisa's eyes travelled to the last remaining member of the Venomous Five, Black Mamba, who stood like petrified. As tough as she normally seemed, she just couldn't handle the violent deaths of her comrades, the sudden explosion of Cobra having shaken her to her core, and the new power of Monalisa outright terrified her far more than anything else she could ever have imagined.

She was broken.

"I always did hate you more than the others." Monalisa said as she walked up to Mamba. "Not sure why, but it doesn't matter. You will die now, just like the rest of them."

"N-no… P-please… I beg you… please…" Mamba whimpered, tears of fear rolling down her cheeks as she tried to back away, only to hit the wall behind her.

"Please don't kill me… I'm sorry… I'm sorry for everything I've done… I'll… I'll join you… I'll swear my undying loyalty to you… please… just don't kill me…"

Monalisa didn't say anything, she just hushed gently and pulled Mamba into a warm embrace, letting one hand rest comforting on the back of the snake's neck. With Mamba crying and shaking, Monalisa leaned in and whispered softly into her earhole.

"Five."

Mamba's eyes went wide with fear, but that was all the reaction she had time for, as Monalisa ripped her head off with one hand.

Holding the head in her hand, the expression of fear frozen on it, Monalisa crushed it like an egg against the wall behind Mamba's corpse before turning around to leave the dojo.

"You may feast on them." she told her Zerg, which didn't waste any time consuming all that remained of the Venomous Five, down to the last drop of blood, which gave the Swarm access to their mutated DNA as well.

Now Monalisa started making her way to her next target.

 **Tyroth have seen some of what's going on, but that's stil only a faction of the true fight. And Monalisa has reached the V5, and made short work of them. Those poor reptiles didn't stand a chance, and she really took her time dealing with them. Had she wanted to, they wouldn't even had noticed that they were killed.**

 **Now for references: Amber remembering her time with the Foot is from my fic 'A Sister's Plight', if you haven't read it, do so. I can't say more without giving you spoilers.**

 **Next, Mona's extra hatered for Mamba stems from Bloodrayne666's story 'Shattered Glass', a non-canon story where Mamba killed Raphael in the early chapters. Not so much of a spoiler, since it's written in the description of the story as well, but it's a very good read. Highly recomended.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Okay, first of, a fair warning. This chapter is pretty much only torture and commupance for a certain character, so... You know what that means, stay clear if you can't handle it.**

 **Chapter 28**

 **A Doctor's Appointment**

Up in his laboratory, doctor Arden had been trying to call the Venomous Five, unaware of what fate had befallen them, but he could easily theorise on the matter.

"Still no response." he said putting away his cellphone. "Either they are too busy fighting these invading creatures, or they have perished. A shame if that's the case, but they were bound to fail this badly sooner or later, and at least I now have plenty of… superior replacements."

Looking around, he smirked slightly at his infested ninja, their numbers now around fifty. With their powers at his disposal, he felt safe and confident that they could handle whatever creatures that were attacking them, and thus would stop them from reaching his master.

But just to be on the safe side, he prepared his syringe launchers, loaded with all of his different serums.

* * *

On the floors below, the Zerg had finished slaughtering the ninja that stood in their way, and were just making their way up to the next floor, the one with Arden's laboratory. Just like earlier, the ninja stood no chance in stopping the aliens' onslaught, but still tried all the same, not that they had any choice in the matter.

While her Zerg took care of all they could find on that floor, Monalisa made her way towards the one place that they were ordered to leave alone, Arden's lab, for that place was hers alone to cleanse, as were any who got in her way.

Like the group of eight ninja that guarded the doors, or at least attempted to anyway. A single Crushing Grip was all that was needed to crumple up the ninja like empty soda-cans, their blood spilling out on the floor in large puddles. With the guards dealt with, all that stood in Monalisa's way was a set of doors. Nothing that her Kinetic Blast couldn't deal with.

The doors were shattered into tiny pieces, and Monalisa stepped into the lab. So many horrible things had been done to her and her loved ones in such places, and far too many abominations had been created there as well, but that would end now.

Seeing the fifty plus infested ninja standing in front of her, Monalisa let her gaze sweep across them all, searching for Arden, but he clearly kept himself hidden from her sight, though he was still able to see her, judging by his words.

"So you are the one leading the creatures? And this is what you've become, Monalisa?" his voice said from somewhere among the infested ninja. "Most impressive."

"Are you still hiding, Arden? It won't do you any good. There's no way you can escape me."

"Oh, I'm not trying to escape. I'm just keeping myself out of harm's way, especially so now that I know it's you that we have to deal with. But you won't be able to deal with all of my new creations, they will take you down for good…"

Several syringes were suddenly launched at Monalisa from somewhere among the infested ninja. Most of them bounced of from her thick carapace, but a few managed to pierce her thinner skin, especially those that hit her neck.

"But my serums can do it just as good." Arden said with a wicked smirk, peeking over the shoulder of one of his ninja in the back, but his smirk faded quickly when Monalisa stood unaffected by the serums, and simply removed the darts, dropping them on the floor.

"That won't work any more. I've already analysed and adapted to all of your serums, Arden, they'll never affect me again. Guess it wasn't such a good idea to pump me full of them last time we met, now was it?"

"Kill her!" Arden roared to his troops, having lost an advantage and now being in a hurry to incapacitate her before she could counter attack.

The room quickly filled with loud growls and hisses as the fifty so ninja leaped into action, and wrestled Arden to the ground.

"What the hell?! Fools! What are you doing?! I ordered you to kill **her**!"

"Don't waste your breath, doctor." Monalisa said as she walked up to him, the infested ninja parting to let her through. "They are not yours to command, they never were. They are mine."

"What have you done?! Tell me!" Arden demanded, and Monalisa responded by grabbing him by his jaw, locking eyes with him and making sure that he knew that he wasn't in control any longer.

"As soon as you injected that ninja with my DNA, he became part of my Swarm and its hivemind, his thoughts joining ours, and making me completely aware of everything that you did here. Everything he and the others you infested saw and heard, I saw and heard as well. They have been following my orders from the very start, playing along with your antics, until the time was right. So thank you for looking after them for me."

"No! That can't be!"

"No? Well, why don't we ask them?" Monalisa said, a few of the ninja pulling Arden to his feet and keeping an iron grip on him as Monalisa spoke to the ninja. "Whom do you serve?"

"You… our Queeeen… Our… livesss for… the Schwarm…" they all growled unanimously.

"Is that proof enough for you, Arden?" Monalisa asked, turning back to the captive doctor.

But Arden didn't say anything, he was still trying to process the situation, where everything had gone wrong, trying to find a way out of his predicament, only to come up with nothing. He was trapped.

"No matter how hard we've tried over the years, we've never been able to kill you, not even Tyroth could do it. When we fought the first time, I though that I had killed you, by throwing the acid in your face." she said, grabbing the scarred side of Arden's face. "I think it's high time that I finished what I started back then."

Extending one of her blade-like claws, a thin green liquid began coating it, seeping through a myriad of holes that were too small to see with the naked eye. Monalisa gently pressed the tip against Arden's healthy cheek, being careful not to let it cut the skin, because it didn't need to.

A small string of smoke rose from where the liquid touch the flesh, and Arden gritted his teeth from the burning, and all too familiar pain. The liquid was acid, or at least acidic, and its mere touch brought back the painful memories of when he lost half of his face, just what Monalisa wanted.

She simply let the claw rest against his cheek, and as the acid ate through more and more flesh, she let the claw follow the progress, and thus slowly going deeper into Arden's face. The doctor squirmed and groaned in pain, and eventually, the acid had eaten its way through his cheek, a few droplets spilling both inside his mouth and on the cheek as Monalisa withdrew the blade, only to quickly wipe off one side on the cheek, causing Arden to cry out.

"How does it feel?" Monalisa asked. "To be the one being tortured? You have been on the other side of that so many times, it's high time that you experienced this side too. You know, I remember when I was first captured by the Foot, Arashi tried to torture me with a method called 'Death by a Thousand Cuts'. I think I will do something similar to you, rather than using your own serums against you, and I think I will call it 'Death by Ten Thousand Drops."

Again she held the blade-claw at Arden's cheek, this time not touching it, but letting the acid drip off of the blade, each droplet burning the flesh underneath with a faint sizzling and small trails of smoke.

"Just you wait, you bitch! I will get you for this!" Arden snapped, but that only caused one of the infected ninja to grab his head, pulling it back and holding it in a tight grip.

"Such harsh words you speak. I guess I will have to silence you then."

With one hand, Monalisa easily forced Arden's mouth open, despite his best efforts to resist. Then she adjusted the angle of her claw and jabbed it into his mouth. It wasn't anywhere deep enough to cut him even the slightest, but the acid that coated it instantly started eating away at his tongue and the inside of his throat, including his vocal cords.

Arden squirmed and gurgled in pain, but he could still not break free, and once enough damage had been done, Monalisa withdrew her claw to inspect the results. With his tongue and vocal cords destroyed, Arden had completely lost the ability to speak, any attempts only resulted in garbled noises.

"There, much better." Monalisa said with a smirk, before she wiped off one side of her claws on Arden's cheek again, continuing where she had left off.

Tears had begun to run down Arden's cheeks, both from the pain and the fact that he was completely helpless and at Monalisa's mercy. After several more wipes of her claws, the last of Arden's face had finally been destroyed. And Monalisa wasn't even close to done.

Placing both acid coated blades behind his ears, they slowly began eating through them, slowly separating them from his head. Then she used the very tip of one of the claw to draw a thin line of acid around his eyes, effectively cutting away his eyelids so that he wouldn't be able to close them any longer. She wanted him to see what was done to him, at least for the time being.

The infested ninja forced Arden onto his back, and Monalisa positioned herself above him. More and more acid was pumped through the pores of the blades, and they started dripping quite a lot, which she let fall all over the doctor's body. His clothes offered no protection and the acid quickly reached his skin, dissolving it with ease.

Despite his healing serums, Arden knew that he wouldn't live through the night. They might heal some of the damage, but they just couldn't heal him faster than the acid could kill him, all they were doing was prolonging his torment even more by healing the open wounds just enough to stop bleeding, and they both knew it.

More and more of Arden's body were eaten away by the acid, exposing his bones in a few places while internal organs could be spotted through some of the holes. The pain was unbearable, and Arden kept squirming as best he could while screaming in pain, and Monalisa was enjoying it all.

In fact, she was going to enjoy her next move even more, as she moved her blades and positioned them right above Arden's eyes, which widened in horror. He wanted to close his eyes, as futile of a protection it would offer, but he couldn't since his eyelids had already been removed, he was forced to look on as the first drop of acid fell onto his delicate eyes.

Panic and pain could be heard clearly in his gurgling screams as his sight was lost one drop at a time, and it was like music to Monalisa's ears.

But she didn't have the time to continue for much longer, she still had a few more targets to deal with, and she didn't want them to get away.

Pulling away her blades, she grabbed Arden's head with one hand and concentrated as she read his mind. Arden could feel an alien presence probing his thoughts, and he had no way of fighting back against such an attack, especially not by something as powerful as Monalisa was, and so she easily learned everything that the doctor knew. All his experiments, all theories, all secrets, and all escape routes.

Smirking, she directed a part of her Swarm to expose those pathways and guard them fiercely, so that no-one could escape her wrath.

Her blades were once again positioned right above Arden, this time over his forehead.

"It's almost over now, you will die soon." she said to him telepathically, as the acid started dripping onto his forehead. "I'm curious, just how much of your brain have to melt away for you to die?"

More and more acid began seeping from her blade, now almost pouring onto Arden's forehead, then the skull, and finally the brain. Arden's throws and attempts to break free got even more violent, but the infested ninja held him in an iron grip. As the acid kept burning away at Arden's head, Monalisa pressed the claw into the hole that it had made, still not pushing it any deeper than necessary to keep the acid in place. With the very source of the acid now in the wound, it was filled with acid faster than it ate away at the organic tissue, spreading out into more of the brain, and even pouring out onto the remainder of his face, and thus into the now almost empty eye-sockets.

All signs of resistance began to grind to a halt, and before even a quarter of Arden's head was gone, he went completely still. But Monalisa didn't stop the acid, she let it pour into the growing cavity until there was nothing left of the head. As she stood up and walked away, she ordered the infested ninja that could spit acid to completely destroy all of Arden's body, down to the last particle of biomass. She didn't want anything to remain of him.

Now she only had two more targets remaining, and they had no way to escape any more. Sending her ninja to join the rest of her Swarm in hunting down all remaining ninja, she made her way to her final destination, the throneroom.

 **Oh boy, Arden really got his just desserts, and killed by acid, just to rub it all in. (Pun intended) And Mona got all them infested ninja without a single hassle, how many of you saw that coming?**

 **Now, she's going to deal with the final two leaders of the Foot. So place your bets!**

 **And also, Mona throwing acid in Arden's face is from their first encounter, way back in A Warrior's Journey, by my dear friend and co-writer Bloodrayne666. Bloody good read that. :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

 **Endgame**

"What's our status, Arashi?" the Shredder asked, having donned his bladed armour as he, Arashi and several of their most skilled elite ninja prepared for the enemy potentially reaching the throneroom.

"Not good, I'm afraid, master." Arashi answered, lowering his cellphone. "Most of our base have been overrun by these creatures, next to no stations are responding, and I cannot reach doctor Arden either."

"Then it is reasonable to assume that he is lost to us." the Shredder said, making sure that his blades were sharp and ready. "An unfortunate, but ultimately, acceptable loss."

"Hai, master." Arashi said, though on the inside he didn't agree that Arden was an 'acceptable loss', yet that was nothing that he would dare say out loud. All he could do was pray that Arden was still alive, and that they too would survive.

"Master, may I suggest that we consider using the escape routes to get to safety?"

"Out of the question, Arashi. I will not tolerate any enemy force in my own base. Whatever these creatures are, I will personally eradicate all of them if I have to, and rebuild my forces. The Foot will not fall, not now, not ever."

* * *

One ninja after the other fell in quick order as Monalisa and her Zerg made their way towards the throneroom, the only place that had yet to fall to them, and all according to Monalisa's orders, as all who remained in there, were hers alone to deal with.

Two dozen ninja stood outside the doors, guarding it as per their orders, even though they all wanted to flee for their lives, but with the Zerg right in front of them, they had no way to escape, no other option, so they did the only thing they could do.

They fought.

And they died.

The sounds of battle could be heard inside the throneroom, and after less than a few minutes, it went almost silent, only the growls, shrills and claws against the floor from strange creatures could be heard. But that soon moved away, becoming more distant until total silence was the only thing that remained.

Shortly there after though, the footsteps of a single person could be heard by the highly trained ninja, the owner of those steps getting closer step by step. Beads of sweat began forming on the foreheads of the nervous ninja, staining their masks, even Arashi was sweating.

But not the Shredder. He was confident in his own abilities, and his armour, and even if all his ninja would end up dead, he would survive. Survive and rebuild. He had done so before, and he would do so again.

Nothing would stop him.

Then the doors exploded, as an almost invisible force tore them asunder, and a lone figure stepped inside the throneroom, revealing herself.

"So you're the one." the Shredder growled, recognising Monalisa despite her new features, and while they intrigued him, he would have them studied later. "Ninja, attack!"

Without hesitation, the elite ninja all dashed towards Monalisa, ready to cut her down with their blades, but they never even got close to her. With only a flash from her eyes, each and everyone of the ninja were caught in her Crushing Grip, and could only struggle in vain as they had the very life and blood squeezed out of them.

Despite being horrified by the fate of the ninja, Arashi still followed suite, hoping to use their deaths as a distraction. But Monalisa saw him coming, and with a simple swipe of her hand she knocked Arashi's sword from his grip, and she followed it up with a quick palm strike to his chest to push him back a few feet.

Before Arashi was able to fully recover from the counter, he felt sharp pain in his torso, like something was gnawing at his organs, and it rapidly increased in intensity, all while he felt a pressure building inside of him.

The pain had long since passed being unbearable, and was now unimaginable, a level that wasn't thought possible, but it would only last a few more seconds.

After no less than six seconds since the pain started, Arashi's torment was ended, as his torso exploded in a shower of blood and gore, revealing the cause of death.

Broodlings. Smaller Zerg creatures, about the size of an average dog, looking vaguely like manta-rays with claws and spikes. While normally spawned and employed as living projectiles from the mighty flying Brood Lords, these short-lived Zergs could also be spawned by other means, such as a dying bio-structure as a final attempt to drive off attackers, or by implanting a tiny egg into a living organism, an egg whose incubation is so quick that it's close to explosive, killing the host instantly while two broodlings are born from it, having fed upon the host and grown to full size in less than two seconds.

Which is just what Monalisa did to Arashi, injecting him with the egg through the needle in her palm, though she mentally forced the incubation to take as long time as she could, all to prolong the pain that the horrible man would experience, but not so long that it killed him before they were done.

The broodlings began feasting on what remained of Arashi, hurrying as they only had a lifespan of a few minutes, but these ones had been improved slightly by Monalisa, and once they were done eating, they created cocoons around themselves, and a few moments later, they emerged as zerglings, only a third of the size of the other zerglings, but with some time and more biomass, they would grow to that size as well. A seemingly useless move, but Monalisa didn't want to show anything that could be considered a weakness, so it was worth it to her.

Her eyes travelled to the last remaining member of the Foot, their leader and founder, the Shredder, who met the gaze of her orange eyes with his red, neither flinching.

"I must say that I'm impressed with your powers." Shredder said. "I don't think I've ever seen something like it, or like you."

"Trust me, you haven't." Monalisa responded. "I am something beyond what you can comprehend."

"You are one of the freaks that have stood in my way for far too long, that is really all I need to know."

"Chose your words carefully, Shredder, they will be your last."

"You speak my name, but you do not know me. I am Ch'rell, Oroku Saki, Duke Acureds, the one TRUE Shredder! I am a destroyer of worlds, and I FEAR NO ONE!"

"I am so much more than that. I am Monalisa, the Lizard of Blades, Queen of the Zerg, Heart of the Swarm, and I will be the end of you. I am the one you **should** fear."

"If that's the case, then let your blades do the talking."

"With pleasure."

With powerful legs, Monalisa launched herself at the leader of the Foot, extending her arm-blades and slashing at Shredder with them. But the attack was easy to spot and read, allowing Shredder to easily avoid the attack and counter by slashing with his own.

Monalisa parried the attacks with her blades, sparks flying as the metal blades struck the dark bone claws, but Shredder kept up the attacks, knowing that Monalisa had a range advantage to her attacks, and wanted to keep the pressure on her. More sparks flew as Monalisa continued to parry the attacks, but eventually one of them slipped past her defence, and Shredder's blades dug into her side, the enhanced strength of the robotic body being enough to pierce the flesh.

Unfortunately for Shredder, the wound wasn't more than an inch deep, and Monalisa quickly kicked him back a few feet, after which the wings was brought to bear, each of the six tips jabbing at him in quick succession. Sidestepping all the attacks as they came, Shredder tried again to attack Monalisa, bringing down his hand mounted blades, only to this time face resistance in the form of Monalisa slashing with her own blade against his.

The two weapons collided, the sound of metal echoing for a brief second before clattering on the floor. Monalisa's claw had cut straight through the metal blades, cutting them off together with a large chunk of the armour on the Shredder's arm.

Shocked by the sudden development, Shredder lost his focus for just a fraction of a second, and that was all that was needed. Three wing-tips impaled the arm, inflicting heavy damage and immobilising it before tearing it out of the socket with a powerful yank.

The battle had quickly turned against Shredder, and he knew it, but he didn't back down, he was certain that he could regain the advantage, and thus pressed on, attacking with his remaining arm. But Monalisa was by no means a push-over, she easily caught the arm in her hand with a powerful grip, and before Shredder could pull it free, the robotic limb was severed at the elbow by a razor sharp bone-blade, leaving him completely disarmed.

Stumbling backwards slightly from the loss of another limb, Shredder's mind instantly went through every option he had, as his chances for survival had dropped considerably. Or at least, they had in his view, for Monalisa, his chances were just as low as she had anticipated, and she was going to end it.

Before Shredder could make his next move, a wing-tip pierced the head of his robot body, then another two just under where the collarbones would be, two more in the hips, and one final in the left thigh. Lifting the completely immobilised body off the floor, Monalisa pulled with her wings in different directions, and after much complaining of the metal, the body was torn in half, spilling the alien within onto the floor like the yolk of an egg.

"And you thought you even had a chance of defeating me? Laughable." Monalisa said as she moved to pick up the Utrom criminal, grabbing him by his equivalent of a forehead, her claws digging into his flesh and drawing blood, and despite his struggles, he wasn't going anywhere.

"Did you know that I was going easy on you? I could have killed you as quick and easy as your bodyguards, but I wanted to see if you were any better. And you know what, you weren't."

As she held Ch'rell in her hand, she made the final move of the battle. She contacted her Swarm, and ordered them to withdraw from the floor they were on, as well as all above it, and several below it. Psionic energy flowed into the alien, so potent that it was visible as orange light around him and her hand, and with it came a message so intense that it drowned out every other thought in Ch'rell's mind.

"I want you to die knowing that you created your own worst enemies, and by threatening them, you created me, your undoing. Now, embrace oblivion."

Tossing the alien into the centre of the room, Monalisa waited for everything to play out. Ch'rell got back on his many, tiny feet, seeing stars for a brief second, but those faded as Monalisa's words still rung loudly in his mind, and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't push them away. And they got even louder, so loud in fact that it felt like others around him could have been able to hear them as well.

Ch'rell's eyes began glowing orange, first like Monalisa's eyes, but then more intense and violently. Then it began to shine through parts of his body around his eyes, spreading from only a few spots to a quarter of his total surface, all while the words burned out everything else in his mind.

He screamed in pain as the power completely overcame everything that he was, and after a short moment, he exploded.

* * *

Flying outside, Tyroth had kept watch over the situation as best he could, but aside from a few minor things, it had been mostly calm on the outside as far as he could see.

"Don't know how much longer I can stick around here, guys." he said into his earpiece. "All those bodies that's been tossed through the windows, not to mention walls that's been melted by acid explosions, have attracted a lot of attention. I've seen the lights of several police cars down on the streets."

" _Have they spotted you?"_ Leonardo asked.

"I don't think so, I've been keeping my distance from the building, but I think it's only a matter of time before more cops show up, either in cars or in helicopters, and if that happens, I must abort this whole thing."

" _We understand, but I just wish that you could have Mona with you back."_ said Sephie.

"Trust me, love, me too."

As Tyroth continued to keep his eyes on the Foot HQ, the top most floors were suddenly torn apart by an explosion, sending debris raining down, leaving only an open floor left as the new top of the building.

"What the hell?!"

" _What was that?! We could feel it all the way here, even without the communication-systems!"_ said Michelangelo.

"Hell if I know! But the top five floors or so of the Foot base were just wiped out of existence by some strange explosion! Almost knocked me out of the air too!"

" _Are you okay, big brother?"_ Amber asked worried.

"Aside from being slightly disoriented for a brief moment, yeah, I'm fine. But there was something strange with that explosion. There wasn't any flames in it, it was more like some form of shockwave."

" _Is Mona okay?!"_ Raphael asked.

"Don't know, can't see her from here, but I'm going in to have a closer look, before the local authorities show up in force. Stay tuned."

* * *

Back in what used to be the throneroom, now only the floor remaining of it, Monalisa lay on her back.

She hadn't counted on the explosion being as powerful as it turned out to be, and while she managed to instinctively shield herself from the blast with her psionic powers, it was still enough to knock her onto her backside, leaving her slightly groggy, but that was luckily all.

Getting back up and dusting off herself, she looked around at the devastation left behind, and thought that maybe, just maybe, she overdid it a bit. Still, she wanted to make sure that the Shredder wouldn't survive, and now, even if he somehow would be able to come back after having his atoms ripped apart by the psionic energy, there would be nothing left of his mind.

Walking over to the edge of the building, checking that it wouldn't crumble or collapse, she looked out across the city of New York, savouring her victory while also thinking of the next step.

"Mona! Is that you?!" a voice called out, snapping her out of her thoughts. Turning around, she saw Tyroth landing a couple of metres away.

The dragon had to stop for a brief moment, both to make sure that it really was Monalisa and not some new creation of hers, but also to make sure that whatever she was wouldn't attack him.

"Tyroth."

"It is you, right?" he asked. "Right soul in the body that belongs to it?"

"Yes, it's me, and in my own body. What do you think of it?"

"Honestly? I preferred the old you more, but if this is how you will look from now on, I guess that it's good." Tyroth said, looking around for a brief second. "Judging by how this place looks, I'm guessing that you're done here."

"Yes, as of now, the only lives in this building are those of the Zerg, and you. The Foot and their leaders are no more."

"Glad that's over. But now we got authorities incoming any minute, so let's head back to the lair now before we end up in more trouble."

But as Tyroth gave his wings a quick stretch, he didn't get any response from Monalisa.

"Mona?"

"I told my swarm to return to the hive cluster, and that's where I'm going too."

"What?!"

 **And that marks the end of the Foot in New York, and finally the Shredder as well. Let it be known, don't mess with the Lizard of Blades.**

 **However, it's not over, not quite yet, as Mona doesn't want to return, even though the Foot is gone. Wonder why.**

 **Tune in next time for her answer.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

 **Conflicting Interests**

"What?!" Tyroth exclaimed.

"I'm returning to my hive cluster." Monalisa repeated.

"I heard you the first time, but I don't understand why? I thought that you'd come home to us once you were done, we all did!"

"And I will, but I'm not finished yet."

"Looks pretty damn finished to me." Tyroth said gesturing to the destruction around them.

"The Foot are dead, yes, but there could still be small patrols of ninja out in the city, not to mention any other smaller bases that they have. And then, there is the power vacuum to consider."

"Power vacuum?"

"The turtles told me, after they defeated the Shredder for the first time, when he was thought to be dead, it created a vacuum among the criminal powers of the city, and they fought each other to attempt to fill that void with their own power. The Purple Dragons, the mafia, and who knows how many others, and all while the civilians get caught in the middle. That has to be dealt with."

"Trust me, I understand, and I agree with you on that, but now is not the time. We'll deal with them, don't worry."

"I'm glad that you say that, but I will not wait for you and the others. With my Zerg, I can wipe them all out in a matter of hours."

"Mona, please, just let it go for now. If we're going to take care of them as well, we'll at least need to assert the situation, gather intel and prepare ourselves for what is to come."

"No. I am done with being reactive, it's high time that we became proactive. Striking at criminals before they can do any damage."

"You're taking this too far, Mona. Please, let's just go home for now." Tyroth said, walking up to her and grabbing her wrist in an attempt to convince her to follow him.

But it didn't go as planed. She instead forcefully pulled free of his grip and lashed out with her wings, striking Tyroth across his chest and throwing him backwards several feet.

"I'm not going back! Not until this city is purified of all criminal filth!" she half snarled. "And if you're going to stand in my way, then I'll deal with you the same way!"

Quickly shaking off the stars, Tyroth looked back at Monalisa, his eyes narrowing.

"You've lost focus, Mona." he said. "Do you even remember why you did this to begin with?"

"You dare question me?! Of course I remember! I did it for my daughter, for Pandora's sake!"

"And what would she think if she saw you now? Would she see her beloved mother, fighting evil to protect her, or would all she could see be just another monster?"

Monalisa's eyes widened, then narrowed as they glowed strongly.

"Shut up!" she roared as she threw a large Kinetic Blast at the dragon.

Noticing the ripple in the air, he just barely managed to throw himself out of the way of the attack before it struck the floor where he had been, causing a large area to collapse.

'Okay… not the reaction that I wanted!' Tyroth thought to himself. 'But she's clearly gone too far down this path! I have to do something before it's too late!'

"You'd attack your own friends and family?! Is that what the Zerg have done to you?!" Tyroth shouted to Monalisa, hoping to make her see sense.

"It doesn't matter! If you're not with me, then you're against me!"

Throwing another Kinetic Blast at the dragon, Monalisa forced him to jump out of the way again, only this time, she dashed up to him, grabbing and lifting him by the throat with a strength that he wasn't prepared for.

"I've always been jealous of your powers, and once I've infested you, I'll have my evolution master work out how to give them to me!" Monalisa growled, readying the needle in the palm of her free hand.

"Don't count on it!" Tyroth said through clenched teeth, right before his entire body erupted in flames.

Monalisa quickly released her grip and pulled back her hand, cradling it as she inspected the wound with but a glance, only to see that it wasn't healing as fast as normal.

"Fire, one of the few things that the Zerg haven't been able to adapt to, especially not magical fire." Tyroth said, earning a glare from Monalisa. "We've done some research of our own, Mona."

Rather than answering with words, Monalisa used her Mend to speed up her healing, and threw yet another Kinetic Blast at Tyroth, one that he this time didn't have time to dodge.

Bracing himself, both physically and with his mana, he was flung backwards almost fifty feet by the impact, flying off the top of the building. Luckily, his protective layer of mana protected him enough from the force to not receive any real injuries, aside from a sense of soreness. Flapping his wings, he was able to gain control of his involuntary flight, but maintained his path and momentum.

" _You okay, Tyroth?"_ he heard Leonardo ask through the earpiece.

"More or less. I take it that you all heard what Mona said, and tried to do?"

" _Loud and clear. I can't believe that she'd go that far."_

"Trust me, there was no doubt in her eyes. I didn't mean to antagonise her, I just wanted to make her think, realize what really matters."

" _We know, brother."_ said Amber. _"But what do we do now?"_

"I don't know." said Tyroth, looking back at the remains of the Foot HQ, where Monalisa just had jumped off the edge and flew after him with the aid of her psionics, coating her in a faint orange light. "But it doesn't look like she's gonna stop. I don't want to do this, but I'm afraid I have to try and fight her, take her down before it's too late."

" _Fight her?! Please, don't do that, hun!"_ said Sephie. _"I can't stand the thought of either of you getting hurt, you least of all!"_

"Sorry, but she won't give me any other choice. I'll still keep trying to get through to her, but if it comes down to only one of us walking away from this, I can't afford to let her be that one." the dragon said as he flapped his wings even harder to keep his distance from the approaching Monalisa.

" _We… understand, Tyroth. Do what you must."_ said Splinter, the sadness in his voice all too clear, and it caused Tyroth's heart to hurt even more than it already did.

" _Do you need help, boss? Just tell us where you want us, and we'll be there in a flash!"_ said Jack.

"I desperately need help, but against someone like her, all you'd be is collateral damage at best. Stay where you are, and prepare for the worst case scenario. If I can't stop Mona, it all falls on your shoulders. I'm heading to Central Park, hoping that there are no people there that will get caught up in all this."

* * *

The assembled mutants all looked at each other with worry and fear in their eyes. None of them liked what Tyroth was implying, but they knew that he was right, and they had to prepare for the worst. But if Tyroth couldn't stop Monalisa, how would they?

Even Raphael was at a loss for words.

Many questions plagued their thoughts as they could only wait and see what happened next.

However, they were all so focused on the current events, that they missed that there was an eavesdropper right outside the room, in the form of Pandora.

'Mommy…' she thought, shedding a tear at the thought of her missing mother. Her heart hurt so much and she missed her mother something fiercely. Not wanting to wait any longer, she did something that she had wanted to do from the start, and something that she shouldn't do.

She left the lair.

Quietly and stealthily, just like her grandfather, uncles and parents had begun teaching her, she slipped out of the lair, no one noticing her opening the doors to do so.

* * *

Flying over Central Park, Tyroth kept glancing over his shoulders to keep an eye on Monalisa, and she was slowly catching up to him. At the same time, he also looked for a place of the Park that was free from humans, in an attempt to keep casualties to a minimum. However, discretion was pretty much thrown out the window, there was no chance that their fight would go unnoticed, but that was sadly the least of his concerns at the moment.

Finally finding a place, he landed and turned to face his foe, and she wasn't far behind, coming straight at him with her sharp wing-tips first. Still covered in a thin layer of flames, fuelled by his mana, he hoped that he could protect himself from infestation, or at least deter Monalisa from trying to infest him again. Something that she definitively noticed when he sidestepped her attack, grabbed her by her skeletal wings, and proceeded slam her into the ground several times before throwing her into a nearby tree, his flames burning her the entire time.

Monalisa was however back on her feet in no time at all, the attacks having done more damage to the ground and tree than to her, though it had temporarily knocked the wind out of her.

"Please, stay down, Mona!" Tyroth called out. "I don't want to fight you, but I will not hold back if you keep forcing me!"

"I am the Swarm!" she snarled in response, dashing towards him while also throwing another Kinetic Blast.

Not able to completely avoid the attack, Tyroth was knocked off his feet once again, landing on his back several feet away from where he was, and before he could get back on his feet, Monalisa descended upon him, aiming to drive all her wing-tips into him to hold him in place.

A quick breath of fire forced her to cover her face out of pure reflex, and that lack of focus was all Tyroth needed to avoid the attack, just barely squirming and twisting his body enough for the tips to miss him and instead dig into the earth beneath him. With that brief opportunity, Tyroth formed foot-long claws of burning mana around his fingers, and quickly lashed out, cutting off all of the finger-like limbs above their first joints.

The solidified mana claws were hard and sharp enough to cause real damage to Monalisa's Zerg body, and the magical flames added to that, actually cauterising the cuts and preventing them from healing, at least for a little while.

As Monalisa reeled back in pain, Tyroth was quick to deliver a burning kick to her abdomen and push her even further backwards, and he followed up with breathing a massive torrent of flames at her, totally engulfing her.

Such an attack would have killed most enemies in short order, but in her current form, Monalisa wasn't like any other foe, and while her wounds hurt and slowed her down for a second, they weren't fatal, and after a Mend, most of them were as good as gone, with her Zerg regeneration finishing them off. Even her wing-tips had fully regrown by the time that she resumed her attacks against Tyroth, attacking with both her wing-tips and her blade claws.

With no other option, Tyroth engaged with his burning mana claws, trading blow after blow with her. Several times were both stabbed and slashed by the other's attacks, Monalisa's acid burning away at Tyroth where it survived past his layer of flames, while his flames constantly burned her by proximity alone, the magic behind it preventing her from adapting to it.

Yet, for all the damage that was dealt, none lasted long due to the fighters' healing abilities, leaving them locked in a seemingly eternal struggle.

But it couldn't go on forever, and Tyroth knew this all too well. The constant drain on his supply of mana would eventually deplete it, and after that, trying to use any form of magic, no matter how small, would kill him. And without the flames protecting him, he would be vulnerable to infestation, and that was something that he wanted to avoid at all costs. He just hoped that whatever powers that Monalisa were using also had a limited supply of energy, and that hers would deplete before his.

Still, even without their unique energy powers, both possessed powerful healing abilities, which would drag out the fight regardless, as only a near fatal or fatal injury would force one to stop, unless Tyroth could reach the old Monalisa underneath this corrupted version of her.

Grabbing both of her wrists as she tried to stab him, Tyroth held them in a burning iron grip.

"Damn it, Mona! You've got to snap out of this! This isn't you!"

"Shut up! I'm so tired of people telling me what to do! Never again!"

Sharp pain shot through Tyroth's torso as all six of Monalisa's wing-tips were jabbed into it, lifting him into the air as he was forced to release his grip on Monalisa's wrists. He could feel that they were starting to pull in different directions, and he had to think of something quickly to avoid whatever grisly wound that would leave.

Hurrying to collect fire and mana in his mouth, he spat a fireball at Monalisa's feet, which exploded and separated the two with the force behind it. Being pushed off of the wing-tips left him with some nasty wounds in his torso, and while they were healing, it would still take a little while for them to completely heal, all while he saw that Monalisa's burn wounds from the fight so far were healed, again accompanied by the orange light of her Mend.

Forcing himself to push past the pain, he was still starting to feel the drain of his body and soul, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could go on compared to Monalisa, as she showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever. But she had just waged war on the Foot, and used her Mend ability almost every time that she received injuries from the current fight, so Tyroth hoped that her reserves were diminished soon.

The sooner the better Tyroth hoped as he barely managed to get back on his feet before taking another Kinetic Blast to the chest, again being flung several feet backwards.

'Ugh… I'm really starting to tire of that…' he thought as he hurried back onto his feet, only to see Monalisa dashing towards him, blade-claws ready to cut him down.

Ducking to the side, he countered with a burning punch that struck one of Monalisa's fists, crushing every single bone in it. Before she could properly recover or see to her wound, Tyroth grabbed her arm with both hands and swung her with as much force as he could muster, slamming her back first into the thick trunk of a large tree next to them, breaking her spine with a horrifying crunch.

Panting heavily, Tyroth backed away from her, hoping that the battle was over, but that hope was crushed when more orange light pulsed from Monalisa, and her wounds began to heal. The crushed hand, with all the now twisted fingers, literally pulled itself together, the bones within fully repaired, and her spine did the same, the central nervous system rewiring itself to repair what would at best have resulted in paralysis. Within seconds, Monalisa was back in the fight.

'By Hel, she won't stay down, no matter what I do to incapacitate her! Do I really have to kill her?!'

Setting her eyes on Tyroth, hatred burning within them, Monalisa cried out in frustration and fury as she unleashed a Kinetic Blast so powerful that it left a five foot wide and two foot deep ditch on its way towards Tyroth, who tried to counter it with a large fireball, holding it in front of him and hoping that it would absorb most of the blow. Dust, smoke, dirt, fire, rocks and grass was thrown everywhere as it impacted, leaving a huge crater behind, but it was unclear if it had actually hit its intended target or not.

Monalisa scanned the area, but couldn't spot her prey anywhere, not even pieces of him. Knowing just how tough the dragon was, she didn't think that he was finished and thus kept searching for him. Unknown to her, Tyroth had managed to make his fireball take the worst of the blow, while also jumping at the last second, using the remaining force to launch himself high into the air, with the explosion as cover while also extinguishing the flames and mana around him.

And it was on his way down that Monalisa finally spotted him, but by then it was too late.

Diving at her at high speed, he moved too fast for her to react in time, and right before his attack connected, he once again brought his burning mana claws to bear, igniting himself and skewering Monalisa through her chest, and subsequently her heart, with such speed and force that she was driven into the ground with a loud thud.

As she lay on the ground with the dragon on top of her, her vision began to fade and she struggled to focus it, but something wet hit her face, and she was able to finally focus. Despite the flames engulfing him, tears still fell from Tyroth's eyes, landing on Monalisa.

"I'm sorry…" he sobbed softly.

Slowly, Monalisa's eyes began to close, only to snap open, glowing with power as Tyroth was flung away like a ragdoll.

Landing on his back, he had the air knocked out of him, and one wing dislocated, and he was certain that several bones were broken and internal organs damaged. Trying to shake off the stars he was seeing, he saw a pulse of orange light emanate from where Monalisa was laying, and shortly after, she stood up, her wounds healing up like before. That was bad news, he had barely regained his bearings and had lost his concentration of the protective flames, but she was already fit for another round.

Monalisa began walking over to Tyroth, her skeletal wings flexing as she readied the needle in the palm of her hand. She was ready to finish this, and to add the most powerful non-Zerg creature in the world to her Swarm.

"MOMMY! STOP!"

 **Man, what a nail-biter! So much back and forth in that fight! Tyroth and Mona seemd rather even, though where Tyroth ruled in pure power, Mona trumphed him in healing.**

 **And now, another party has entered the duel. No guesses who that is, but how will that change things?**

 **Find out soon!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

 **Internal Struggle**

Earlier, back in the lair, the gathered mutants waited and listened to the battle through Tyroth's earpiece. Donatello had turned off their microphone so that they wouldn't distract the dragon in any way.

Still, only being able to listen while two of their close friends and family were engaged in what could very well be a battle to the death, that put an enormous strain on all of them, especially Raphael and Sephie. Raphael clenched his fists so hard that the knuckles turned white, forcing himself to stay put and not run away to join the fight, as he wasn't sure whose side he would take.

Partway through the fight, Sonia came running, clearly upset.

"Aunt Sephie! Uncle Raph!" she cried out.

"Sonia? What's the matter?" Sephie asked.

"Pandora's gone!"

"WHAT?!" everyone yelled at once.

"What do you mean 'gone'?!" Raphael shouted.

"I can't find her anywhere and the entrance is wide open!"

"She left the lair?! Why would she do that?" said Heather. "And where would she go?"

"Don't tell me…" Donatello began. "What if she overheard what Tyroth said?"

"Then she might be heading to Central Park! To save her mother!" said Leonardo.

"But how could she leave without anyone knowing?" said Michelangelo.

"She told me that she was going to the bathroom." Sonia explained. "But she took so long that I went to check on her, but she wasn't there, and when I was looking for her I saw that the entrance was open."

"Shit, this ain't good." said Sharky. "We have to catch her before she gets into danger!"

"I'm sorry, Uncle Raph."

"Don't be, kid, it's not your fault."

"Donnie, stay here and monitor the situation!" Leonardo commanded. "Sonia, you stay and watch other the other kids, they'll need you! The rest of us will track down Pandora!"

"Right!" they all said in unison.

* * *

However, Pandora had such a head start, that not even the fast Sarah would be able to catch up to her in time, as the tiny mutant, fuelled by adrenaline and the desire to save her mother, had already reached one of the ladders that she knew led to Central Park.

Not even taking the time to properly catch her breath, she quickly climbed up and used all of her strength to push the lid to the side. Once on the surface, she allowed herself to rest for a moment, while she looked around for any sign of her mother or Tyroth.

She didn't have to look for long, as she spotted large flames some distance away, together with the sounds of battle.

Again, Pandora ran as fast as she could, making a beeline for the burning area, not even caring if any humans would see her. And after a few short minutes, she reached the area, and hid behind a bush to get a better look to make sure that it was safe before she continued, but what she saw chilled her blood.

She saw Tyroth laying on his back, possibly injured, while her mother, barely recognisable, was walking towards him, her skeletal wings flexing and her right hand raised, and Pandora just knew that something bad was about to happen. Pandora didn't know what to do, but that didn't stop her from acting without thinking.

"MOMMY! STOP!" she yelled and ran out from her cover.

Her cry had stopped Monalisa in her tracks, as both she and Tyroth looked in the direction of the voice, spotting the small mutant.

"Pandora?"

"Pandora?! No! Get out of here! Run while you can!" Tyroth shouted, not wanting to put Pandora in danger, nor wanting her to see what was about to happen.

But the lizard/turtle hybrid didn't listen. She kept running and soon stood between the two combatants, facing her mother with her arms out to the sides, barring her way.

"Don't hurt Uncle Tyroth, Mommy!" she shouted, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Pandora, run! Please!" Tyroth said, but she still didn't listen to him.

"Stand aside, Pandora." Monalisa said coldly.

"No! I won't let you hurt Uncle Tyroth!"

"I won't ask again, Pandora. I am your mother, do as I say." she said sternly.

"You're not my mother! You're a… a monster!" Pandora yelled back, more tears falling.

Monalisa's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger, glaring at her daughter. She wouldn't let anyone talk to her like that, not even her own flesh and blood. Yet, there was something in Pandora's words that triggered something within Monalisa; doubt.

Out of instinct, she accessed the parasite she had injected her daughter with, and saw through her eyes, and what she saw scared her.

Purely objectively, she did only see herself as she was, but she also saw and felt how her daughter saw her. How intimidating she truly was, how different she was, not only in appearance, but also as a person. In Pandora's eyes, she truly was a monster.

Looking through her own eyes again, she looked down on her hands, clawed and one with a needle, both of them trembling as she saw herself in a new light.

"…no… …what have I done… what have I become…" she said, her voice once filled with confidence, now weak and uncertain as she fell to her knees.

"Where did I go wrong? What happened to me?" she said, letting her head rest in her hands and beginning to sob slightly.

"Mommy?" Pandora said, and was about to walk up to Monalisa, but Tyroth quickly got up on his knees and put an arm around Pandora.

"Wait, Pandora!"

"What's happening, Uncle Tyroth?"

"I think… I think she's trying to remember."

"Remember what?"

"Who, and what, she is."

Tyroth hunch was right on the money, and while Monalisa clearly was upset and torn about all that had happened, what they saw on the outside was only a part of the conflict that she was having with herself in her mindscape.

* * *

In Monalisa's mind, a mental representation of her held her head in a similar fashion to her physical self, but she constantly and violently threw herself around as conflicting thoughts and agendas clashed.

' _Infest!_ No! _Yes!_ Pandora! _Kill!_ Love! _Consume!_ My daughter! _Enemies!_ Wrong! Family! Friends! _No one will stop me!_ Not what I want! _Way of the Swarm!_ Not my way! _Zerg! I will rule!_ No! Not supposed to be like this! _Resistance is futile!_ I'll never give up!'

Monalisa continued to be tormented, and the divided thoughts soon tore her mental representation apart, resulting in two entities, one resembling the Lizard of Blades and the other the Lizard Lady, but only one could remain in control.

"This isn't right! We can't do this!" the Lizard Lady said to the Lizard of Blades.

"Yes we can! All we have to do is to move that child out of the way, and victory will be ours!"

"Her name is Pandora, and she's our daughter! We know this too, all of us do!"

"That doesn't matter! Right now, she's in the way of the most powerful creature on all of Earth! We need his essence!"

"He's our friend! He has risked his life countless times to save not only our life, but those of our family as well! We can't infest him!"

"Would we rather that we kill and consume him instead?! Infesting him is the best choice, for both him and us!"

"No it's not! We won't let us do that to him!"

"It is the only way to survive! To evolve and adapt! Seeking out powerful essence and assimilating it to grow stronger! That is the Zerg way!"

"But we are not Zerg! Not truly!"

"There is no middle ground! Either one is Zerg, or one is not! Doesn't matter what we used to be, we are Zerg now!"

"Then Pandora is right, we are a monster!"

"So what if we are?!"

"We don't want to be a monster! All we wanted was to protect our loved ones, like Pandora!"

"We are protecting them! Once the world is purified of all evil, they will be safe! If that is not enough for us, we can infest them as well!"

"NO! NEVER!"

"Think about it! They will never leave us! They will always be a part of us! They will be safe! Immortal! Just like us!"

"We can't do that! Not to them!"

"We've already done so! The parasite inside Pandora, remember?"

"That was different! We needed to be able to keep watch over her, but it was still wrong! We shouldn't have done it! We didn't want to!"

"It doesn't matter if we want to or not, we must do it! The end justifies the means!"

"How can we think that?! That makes us no better than the foes we fight!"

"We ARE better than them! We are better than everyone! This is what we are!"

"No! It's not! We're- **I'm not you!** "

"There is no 'you' or 'I', there is only us!"

"Not any more! I won't let you control me any longer! I'm going to take back my body, my mind and my soul from you!"

"There is nothing to take back, we are one and the same! Different sides of the same coin! There can never be just one, not any more!"

"Then I'll have to make sure that **I** am the one in control!" the Lizard Lady yelled before lunging at the Lizard of Blades, delivering a wicked punch to her face, knocking her off her feet.

"This is for my family! For Pandora! And you'll never hurt them again!" she kept yelling while brutally pummelling her other self, despite the best efforts to resist. Each punch causing the Lizard Lady to seemingly grow and glow more brightly, while the Lizard of Blades seemed to shrink and diminish, until she was only a fraction of herself, while the Lizard Lady was many times her original size.

Picking up the tiny Lizard of Blades with one hand, the Lizard Lady brought her to her face.

"I may not be able to destroy you, but there is one thing that I've learned from you!" she said.

"And… what is that…?"

"I can consume you!" she said, quickly putting the smaller half of herself in her mouth and swallowed the squirming entity.

"That's the way of the Zerg, isn't it? To consume and grow stronger. Well, now I am stronger than you, and I will never let you take control again."

* * *

Back outside, Monalisa removed her hands from her face, revealing not only that tears were running down her cheeks, but also that her eyes were now blue, the same blue that they used to be. Seeing this change, Pandora escaped Tyroth's arm and walked over to her mother, as if she sensed something.

"Pandora, be careful." Tyroth cautioned, getting back on his feet and preparing himself in case he would need to get Pandora to safety.

Seeing Pandora in front of her, it was with a shaky hand that Monalisa reached out for her daughter, hesitating several times before finally letting her fingers touch Pandora's cheek, the hand cupping it shortly after.

"Pandora…" she said, tears running down her cheeks.

"Mommy…? Is it really you?"

"Yes, little geisha… It's really me."

The mutant child began crying, throwing her arms around Monalisa's neck, while she embraced her daughter in turn, crying just as much.

"Mommy! I've missed you so much!" Pandora sobbed.

"I've missed you too… my precious geisha… I'm so sorry… for everything… I never wanted to hurt you… or anyone else…"

"I forgive you, Mommy… I just want you to come home with me again…"

"And I will, Pandora… I will… back home where I belong… with you and all the others…"

"Glad to see that you've regained your senses." Tyroth said, making Monalisa look up. "And not a moment too soon."

"Tyroth… please, forgive me… I never meant to… I just couldn't…"

"I know, Mona. All too well." he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, despite her spike-like growths. "Remember that question you asked me, about how it is to have great powers, and I said that you'd understand if you ever got powers of your own? The same thing I asked you about in your hive?"

"I do… and at that point, I thought I knew the answer… but I was wrong, so wrong, yet I wouldn't admit it. But now, I think I really, truly understand it."

"Then let's hear it. How does it feel to have great powers?"

"On one hand, it feel wonderful. It's a great gift, but at the same time, it is a terrible burden, a curse almost. Such powers, they are powerful tools if used correctly, but they come with unimaginable temptations."

"That they do." Tyroth said, offering his hand. "Welcome back, Mona."

"Thank you, for not giving up on me. And thank you for trying to stop me." she said as she was helped up on her feet, with Pandora by her side, the child's arms around her waist in a close hug.

"That's our thing, doing the what's right."

"Pandora! Tyroth! Mona!" the trio heard voices call out. Looking at the source, they saw all of the New Yorker and Knights, save for Donatello, running up to them.

"Everyone alright?!" Leonardo asked.

"We're fine, Fearless." the dragon answered.

"Mona? Is that you?" Raphael asked upon seeing his mate.

"It is me, hun, and no one else. I promise you."

Taking a moment to take a closer look at his mate, his gaze lingered on her eyes for the longest. Seeing her blue irises again, even against the almost black whites, gave him the answer he needed, and he embraced her for the first time in a long while.

"I've missed you so much, babe." he whispered, shedding a few tears.

"And I've missed you too, hun." she whispered back.

"Not to ruin this reunion, but I thought that I told you guys to stay put." said Tyroth.

"And we did! But a certain little dudette didn't!" said Michelangelo, pointing at Pandora.

"So she didn't do as she was told, huh?" said Monalisa, looking down at her daughter, who looked a little anxious. "Normally, that would have earned her a minor scolding. But not this time. If it hadn't been for her, I don't think I would have been able to become myself again."

"So, I'm not in trouble?"

"I didn't exactly say that, but we'll discuss that once we get back to the lair again."

"Like music to my ears." said Sarah.

"Yeah, and I'm glad that we got the old Mona back again." said Sephie, only to shot a glance at Monalisa's erg features. "Well, her mind at least."

"I never thought that she'd look like this." said Sharky. "Think we can turn her back, or should we let her remain like this?"

"How about we leave that question for a later time." said Jack, his ears twitching and moving. "We got vehicles incoming, probably local authorities or similar."

"Then let's head back to the lair before they catch us." said Leonardo and quickly lead them all back to the nearest manholes.

* * *

It wasn't with a large margin that the mutants managed to avoid the humans, and by the time that any possible pursuers would follow them down into the sewers, there would be no signs of the mutants, as they knew the sewers far too good.

In short time, they would all make it back to the lair, safe and sound.

But there were still some things that they needed to attend to, and questions to be answered. Such as what to do about Monalisa's new form, and what would become of the Zerg.

 **Yay! Monalisa has regained her senses! And it's all thanks to Pandora confronting her!**

 **But that struggle in her mind can't be fun to experience, glad that it's over.**

 **And like I said, now they all have to figure out how to go forward, with the new Monalisa. Stay tuned for my last chapter.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

 **Final Evolution**

It was with a heavy heart that Monalisa once again set foot in the lair, still feeling guilt for how she had acted towards her family after her secret had been revealed to them.

Her adoptive father was quite shocked over her new appearance, to say the least, yet he still welcomed her back with open arms, which brought tears to Monalisa's eyes. Despite all that she had done, her friends and family still accepted her back among them, if only she had been able to see that from the start.

Gathering in the TV area, Monalisa sat down in the couch with Pandora in her lap and Raphael by her side. There was a lot that needed to be said, on both sides.

"I just can't begin to say how sorry I am for everything." Monalisa began. "All that I've said and done to you all. What I almost did." she looked at Tyroth during the last sentence.

"It wasn't your fault, Mona. You were under alien influence." said Leonardo.

"Literally!" Michelangelo cut in, only to be gently pulled back by Kate.

"You don't understand, it wasn't the Zerg that did all those things, it was me." Monalisa said. "I can't really explain it, but this Lizard of Blades was... is a part of me. It is as much me as the current me am, but still different."

"And here I thought it was a case of split personality." said Sarah.

"I suppose that's a good way to put it, but it's still not entirely correct. Not that it really matters, in the end I knew what I was doing, and that it was wrong, but I couldn't see it like that."

"That is in the past now, my daughter." said Splinter, placing a paw on Monalisa's hand. "All that matters is that you are in control now, and back with us again."

"Master Splinter is right." said Sephie. "We've missed you so much that it's crazy."

"Even after what I said to you, Sephie?" Monalisa asked, remembering the harsh words she had said to her honorary sister.

"Yes, we know that you weren't in your right mind, so to speak, but all is forgiven."

"And now you are in control of all your powers, so this will not happen again." said Tyroth.

"Are you sure about that?" Monalisa asked. "I won't deny it, I'm terrified that this other me takes over again."

"It won't happen, Mona. This Lizard of Blades has got nothing on you. She used a common goal to lure you down the path you went." said Tyroth. "All of us wanted the Foot dead, but you were the only one that had the means to do it right now, though I can't say that any of us wouldn't have wanted to do the same in your shoes. The temptations that comes with great powers are many and strong, but you have conquered yours, and as long as you remember that, they will never get the better of you again."

"If the boss thinks you're okay again, then that's enough for me." said Percy. "He's got a sixth, or seventh, sense for these kinds of things."

"More like that I have been where she was not long ago, and I can see in her eyes that she knows how to handle things now."

"Thank you, Tyroth, for your trust in me. I'll do my best to be worthy of it."

"I know you will be, Mommy." Pandora said, hugging her mother again.

"As do I, babe." said Raphael, holding his mate close, and she relaxed her head against his shoulder, feeling safe and secure among her family again.

"Now that all that is dealt with, what should we do about the Zerg?" asked Jack. "They're still out there, aren't they?"

"They are no problem, Jack." said Monalisa, looking at the wolf. "I am still in control of them, so they won't do anything that I don't allow, just like before. If anything, we can still use them as allies should we need or want to."

"Well, I suppose that's good." said Michelangelo. "They still freak me out a bit, but better with freaky friends than freaky foes."

"I agree with that." said Kate.

"I have a question though, and take this the right way, babe." said Raphael. "Can we turn you back to how you looked before… this?"

"Yeah, I'd like that too. Because you aren't as cuddly as you used to be." said Pandora, gently poking at the tougher skin Monalisa possessed.

"That's actually a good question." Monalisa admitted. "I know that I was very… hostile about that subject before, but now, I'd rather be my old self, if possible."

"That's gonna be a challenge." said James, going over possible options in his head. "I honestly don't know if there is anything that we can do about it. I guess it is possible to surgically remove the wings, spikes and a few other things…"

"But given how well the Zerg, and thus you too, regenerate, they'd just grow back in a few days at most." Donatello continued. "Water from the well might be able to cleanse the infestation, but we can't know for sure, and we don't even know how the old you would react to it in the first place."

"What about your magic, brother?" Amber asked.

"No idea if I can do anything like that. Sure, my magic is highly malleable, but I still need to know and understand what I'm doing with it. Give me a few years and maybe, just maybe, I might be able to figure something out, but I can't promise anything."

"Anyone else got any bright ideas?" Percy asked, scratching his head.

"Maybe…" Heather began, taking a moment to think about it more closely. "It's just a thought, but it might be doable."

"What's on your mind, Fairy Girl?" Kate asked.

"Well, the Zerg made her into this, right? Then, could they undo it as well?"

"What do you say, Mona? You're the expert on the Zerg here?" Sephie said, and the questions did linger in Monalisa's mind as she searched for an answer.

"I… I don't know… I've never even considered changing anything back. It's not something that they really do, but… they do have such power over their own evolution, I think that they might be able to it."

"Then let's go and ask them!" said Raphael, feeling the hope of getting his mate back the way she used to be.

"We don't have to go anywhere. Not right now, anyway." said Monalisa. "I can ask Lee, my evolution master from here right now."

"Oh yeah, that hive mind thing." said Sarah.

"Precisely. Just give me a minute."

' _Lee, can you hear me?'_ she asked telepathically.

' _Affirmative.'_

' _Good, I have a question for you. Is it possible for you to turn me back to how I was before I entered the cocoon?'_

' _Nature of question; confusing. Zerg always evolve, never devolve, never go back.'_

' _But can it be done? Can my old body be restored?'_

' _Possibility; exists. Probability; unknown.'_

' _That's something at least. I want you to start working on a solution.'_

' _Order received. Reason unknown, explanation desired.'_

' _Sometimes, Lee, we make mistakes, and sometimes, the only way to continue forward, is to take a step back and try another solution. This body, as powerful as it is, is not the right way for me, for us.'_

'… _Understood. Will begin immediately.'_

' _Thank you, Lee.'_

"There." Monalisa said, returning her focus to her immediate surroundings. "Lee is not sure if it's really doable, but he has started working on it all the same. Now we just have to wait and see how it goes."

"That's almost the best thing that I've heard since this mess started." said Michelangelo. "It's nice to get some good news every now and then."

"I know what you mean, hun." said Kate, holding the turtle close before she turned to Monalisa. "But I guess that ties up all loose ends then. You may get your old body back, and these Zerg can help us if needed, right?"

"That's right. And now we don't have to worry about the Foot any more, I made sure that none were left. I just hope that I haven't made things worse in the city."

"You're talking about the power vacuum that you mentioned before." said Tyroth, to witch Monalisa nodded.

"We've seen what can happen if you remove a group such as the Foot, and it's bound to get messy up there." said Leonardo, remembering when they had defeated the Shredder for the first time. "We'll have to be extra vigilant and protect the innocent as best we can. It may not be our fight, but we are still responsible."

"I know, Leo, and I hope that my Zerg can be of great use for this." said Monalisa.

"I don't honestly know about that." said Donatello. "Don't get me wrong, Mona. If you say that you got them under control, then I believe you, I'm just worried that someone else will do what the Foot tried if they find enough traces of the Zerg."

"Don't worry, Don, we were never in any real danger." said Monalisa. "I was always aware that Arden had created his own infested ninja with my Zerg DNA, and they were always under my control. I only used that as an excuse to go through with dealing with the Foot as soon as possible, well, the other part of me did anyway."

"Seems like we got our happy ending just around the corner then." said Percy. "And about time too. Who's up for something more fun instead?"

* * *

Several days passed, and life had almost returned to normal for the mutants. The Knights had decided to stay to make sure that Monalisa truly was herself again, just to be on the safe side, but they were equally happy to all just hang out with their New York friends at their place.

Monalisa did have a little trouble readjusting herself to the more domestic life that she used to have before her infestation, her new body frame being more cumbersome than her old, especially the wings, something that Tyroth easily could relate to, and thus gave her some tips based on personal experience that helped quite a bit.

All things considered, Monalisa was pretty content with how her life had turned out after her infestation, even if she still felt ashamed over many of the things that she did as the Lizard of Blades. She couldn't really be as close to her loved ones as she wanted physically, because of her thorn-like growths, but they all still tried their best and she loved them for it, feeling that no matter what, they would always be there for her, even if she remained as she was.

But one day, Monalisa got a message from Lee, and her heart skipped a beat. She didn't waste any time heading to the hive cluster, and the others followed her closely.

* * *

"I have never really seen the Zerg before." said Heather as she laid eyes on the hive cluster. "I do not like to admit it, but they are giving me the creeps."

"You're not the only one." said Sharky.

"We've seen them a few times before, and they still creep me out too." said Michelangelo, and Raphael nodded, holding Pandora close too him, since she had insisted to come along, something that she was starting to regret.

"I understand what you mean, little brother, but you'll get used to them, especially since they won't hurt a fly right now." Monalisa said, kneeling by a zergling and petting it on the head, which made it wag its tail as if it was a dog.

"Is that normal behaviour? I though these things were killing machines." said Jack.

"They still are, but since I became, well, me again, my Swarm have taken on a much friendlier disposition than before." Monalisa explained, scratching the zergling on the back of its neck. "I guess it's based on what I expect of them, but I'm not entirely sure. Either way, should the need arise, they can still be just as vicious as before, but never without my permission."

"My Queen. It is good to see you again." they group heard the infested human, Dana, say as she met the group.

"Hello, Dana. Is everything alright?"

"All is well, my Queen. Lee is waiting for you by the spawning pool."

"Thank you." Monalisa said before turning back to her friends. "Well, let's see what Lee has cooked up then."

"Are you sure you're okay, babe?" Raphael asked.

"I'm just nervous, that's all."

* * *

A short walk later, the mutants arrived at the spawning pool, where they saw Lee for the first time. Given how much both Monalisa and Dana had retained of their former appearances, the more inhuman look of Lee caught them of guard.

Another thing that caught the eyes of the group, was a large fleshy cocoon in the spawning pool, similar to those that the Zerg hatch from after morphing from a larva. It was just sitting in the middle of the pool, the ooze covering two thirds of it, and if one looked very closely as it gently pulsated, one could see that there was something inside.

"Mission complete." Lee stated.

"What have you done, Lee? What is that?" Monalisa asked, pointing at the cocoon.

"Queen wished to revert to old body. Give up current, superior body. Inefficient. None-optimal solution. Waste of resources. Found alternative. Secondary body. Morphed to resemble old Queen's body. Uninhabited. Queen can use either body at will."

"So there's a second Mona in that thing?" said Percy.

"It sure sounded like that." said Leonardo.

"Not exactly what I expected, but I guess it's the best of both worlds." said Monalisa. "Just give me a minute and I'll… get changed, I suppose."

"This is so weird, even by our standards." said Michelangelo, to which Donatello and several others nodded.

Monalisa entered the pool and walked into the middle where the cocoon was, and looking through the thinner green membranes of it, she could just barely make out her own face. The feeling of seeing herself like that was weird but not necessary uncomfortable.

Standing next to the cocoon, she turned to her friends and family and waved as a chrysalis began to rise up around her, just like when she had transformed before.

"See you soon." she said.

"Good luck, Mommy!" Pandora called out, receiving a nod and a smile from her mother before the chrysalis closed.

The others waited with baited breathes as Monalisa began the final work of the transfer. Her Zerg body became suspended in sustaining liquids that would keep it alive and well indefinitely, should she ever need it again. She relaxed her mind and soul, and left her body, just like she had done when she had been captured, and as she moved through the hivemind, she easily found a void in it, where her new body awaited, completely vacant, simply for her to take in possession.

Entering her body, she was filled by a familiar sensation. It felt like putting on a pair of well worn shoes, that have been formed around ones feet, or an old jumper, that despite being very worn, still is the most comfortable piece of clothing one has. It felt… like home.

Opening her eyes, she saw her hands in front of her face, just barely visible due the green colour of the liquid she was suspended in, but she could still see enough to make out that they weren't Zerg like the ones her other body had, so she knew that she was in the right place.

Now all she needed to do was to burst out of the cocoon. She wasn't in any danger of drowning, as the liquid was filled with enough oxygen to allow her to survive, much like an unborn child still in its mother's stomach, and that was a good thing, for it would still take her a little while to get out.

While the cocoon had initially been soft and elastic, once Monalisa had entered her body, it hardened and became as the shell of an egg. It was thin, but still strong, and it took several punches before it began to crack, and the cracks quickly spread across the entire cocoon. Shortly after, it burst apart, spilling out the liquid into the ooze of the pool, together with Monalisa.

Coughing to get the liquid out of her lungs, she began wiping her face of the ooze and moving her hair out of the way as well, but that's when she noticed that she didn't have any hair, it was still the same kind of tendrils that she had in her Zerg form.

She sighed in disappointment, but decided to let it be, things could after all have been far worse than just having tendrils instead of hair, especially when the rest of her body seemed to be identical to her old lizard self. At least on the outside, internally she still felt different from her old self, something that she had to ask Lee about later. Now, all she wanted was to join her loved ones, and get out of the pool, but she halted herself when she realised that she was completely naked, remaining mostly submerged in the thick ooze.

"Mona! Are you okay?" she heard Raphael call out to her.

"Yes, I'm fine, just not… not decent at the moment." she answered. "This body didn't come with any clothes."

"Guess we should have thought about that." said Donatello.

"Don't worry, I'll head back and fetch you your bathrobe, Mona." said Sarah, waiting for a nod of confirmation from Monalisa before running back to the lair. Thanks to her high speed, she was able to run the distance that would have taken an hour in just over twenty minutes, though she was as tired as expected after that.

With the bathrobe in hand, Sephie stepped up to the pool together with Raphael and Tyroth, while the others took a few steps away. Tyroth turned his back towards the pool, and opened his wings down to the sides, acting as a privacy screen while also keeping an eye on the others, just in case.

Climbing out of the spawning pool, Monalisa was still covered in green ooze, something that she didn't want to bring with her home. That's when she learned that she still had some of her psionic powers in that body as well, as a familiar glow emanated from her body, forcing the ooze off her and onto the creep she stood on, but rather than orange, the energy was now coloured blue, just like her eyes.

Once she was clean, Sephie and Raphael helped her on with the bathrobe, and she could finally join her friends and family as the Lizard Lady again, but not exactly as it used to be.

"I thought you'd be completely turned back, so what's the deal with these… dreads?" Michelangelo asked, gently picking up a few tendrils with his fingers.

"I don't know." Monalisa answered, turning to Lee. "Care to explain?"

"Hair impractical." the evolution master answered. "Tendrils superior. Contain neural processors. Amplifies psionics. Worth retaining."

"Is that why you left other parts of me changed as well?"

"Original body weak. Improved key aspects based on superior body. Regeneration, strength, speed, senses, psionics, breathing, fuel efficiency. Survivability."

"I suppose I can understand that." Monalisa said with a subtle sigh.

"The important thing is that you're yourself in your mind again." said Raphael, putting his arms around his mate from behind. "And if you can live with this, then so can I."

"Thanks, hun." Monalisa said with smile, snuggling up against her mate in his arms. "Now I just have to figure out what to do with these." she said, running a hand through her tendrils.

"How do they actually feel? To have, I mean." asked Jack.

"I… don't really know. Like actual dreadlocks, I suppose? I don't think I can explain it any better."

"I bet Moe would know how it feels." said Sephie. "And I think I know what to do with them."

Undoing her own hair, she took the hair tie that usually held it up in a high ponytail, and gathered up Monalisa's tendrils. It took a little while, but she managed to secure them in a high ponytail as well, with some shorter ones hanging in front of Monalisa's forehead like bangs.

"There, that should help."

"Much better. Thanks, Sephie. This already feels more controlled. But won't your hair get in the way now?"

"Don't worry, I got more hair ties back in the lair. They can break easily on missions if I'm unlucky, so I always have some spares."

With a smile on her lips, Monalisa picked up her daughter and held her close.

"So, Pandora, what do you think?" she asked, turning her head from side to side, showing off her new style.

"You're pretty again, but your hair is a bit strange. And it looks like you and Aunt Sephie swapped hairstyles."

"I guess we sort of did." Monalisa chuckled. "And what do you think of the Zerg?"

"They're scary, but… but I'm not afraid of them, because I know I can trust you, Mommy."

"That's my brave little geisha." Monalisa said, nuzzling her daughter's chin and making her giggle. Then she turned to the others. "Well, it's been a long time coming, but let's head back home, for real this time."

* * *

With that, life almost returned to normal for the mutants.

Monalisa would get much use out of her improvements as she, her family and friends, fought to maintain order in New York after other criminal groups and organisations tried to fill the vacuum left after the death of the Foot.

The Zerg were also of great use to the mutants, a small group of zerglings always following their locations below the streets, and after having evolved a powerful leap ability, they could use it to jump right up through the manholes, or combine it with their burrow ability to go straight through the ground if need be, ready to aid the mutants.

But that wasn't the only use the Zerg were to the mutants. The inevitable bodies of criminals could simply be dumped into the sewers, where the drones would gather them and dispose of them at the hatchery, which saved the mutants a lot of trouble.

As time went on, everyone came to accept the Zerg more and more, even Pandora and Kemeko, and eventually a handful were kept burrowed near the lair, just in case they needed to defend their Queen and her family. Things even went so far that a special variant of the zergling was created, but not for defence, but as a pet.

Nicknamed Ziggy by Pandora and Kemeko, this zergling was the size a cat, lacked sharp claws and teeth, had larger eyes and a softer and smother build overall, and acted pretty much like a mix between a cat and a dog. The children came to adore little Ziggy, as did Michelangelo, and the little Zerg quickly became as much a part of the family as their old cat, Klunk, had been.

Lee hadn't been too happy with the creation of Ziggy though, as it wasn't effective enough for survival, but he did as his Queen requested, even if it was under protest. He wouldn't complain too much though, as he was allowed to tinker with the Swarm at his leisure.

But overall, the Swarm didn't grow any larger, aside from a new hive cluster that was eventually established near Mutopia in order to help protect the sanctuary, it was simply maintained by Dana, to whom Monalisa had delegated all but complete control of the Swarm now that she herself was back with her mutant family, and Dana followed her Queen's wishes, keeping the Zerg out of trouble but on alert.

Many things would happen over the years that were to come, and Monalisa's Zerg were to be a part of several of them.

But that is a different story.

 **And we're done! Finally! This has been one heck of a trip, but I hope that you've all enjoyed it.**

 **Not that this really matters, but here are some references: Mona retaining the tendrils for hair is similar to how the original Queen of Blades retained her own when she was revereted to human form, while the zerglings' new jumping ability is based on the Raptor strain.**

 **As for the canonicity of this story... let's say non-canon. Otherwise it would mean a lot of work for my fellow fanfic author Bloodrayne666. Our stories do intertwine most of the time, and this would leave her without her main villains, among other things.  
Actually, let's say non-canon unless she say otherwise. Yeah, that feel right.  
**

 **Well, that's about it for me. Again, hope you've all enjoyed this final chapter! :)**


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